Enlightenment
We share big and small enlightenments we have in our daily lives, walking with God.
Help Me Overcome My Unbelief!
There is a verse that breaks my heart whenever I read it because it describes me very well. “. . . But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mk 9:22–24 The boy’s father disappointed Jesus with his words of unbelief, but which were familiar to my ears. It’s because there were many times when I prayed to God without believing firmly that He would surely answer my prayer, although I acknowledged with my lips that God is the Almighty. Now, I reaffirm my faith and pray to God…
Gu So-hyeong from Anyang, Korea
I’m Sorry, Sister
One morning, I was late while getting ready to go to my class and did not leave my house until the class started. I was rushing out and eventually tripped on the stairs. Fortunately, I was not seriously injured. Even the doctor said I would get well soon if I was careful and refrained from being active, so I didn’t think it would impact my daily activities. Contrary to what I thought, since I sprained my ankle, I felt uncomfortable in my daily life. It took me 20 to 30 minutes to get to school, which usually took 10 minutes, and it was difficult to use the stairs, which used to be very easy for me to go up and…
Song Ji-soo, Jeonju, Korea
God Can Testify
“God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” Php 1:8 Apostle Paul was very confident in his love for the church members in the gospel, and said that God could testify how he loved them. We can feel his heartfelt sincerity for his brothers, whom he loved with all his heart and soul. When you make efforts to help your brothers and sisters, crying in response to their suffering, nobody may know or acknowledge it. But it shouldn’t matter because God knows all your invisible behind-the-scenes efforts and your earnest love for them, as it is written: “God can testify.” I give thanks to God for being a witness to everything I…
Shin Yu-dong from Seoul, Korea
I Will Obey It with All My Heart
Since I was little, I’ve been under God’s blessing with my family. However, I began to attend worship services just out of habit. I really hated myself for doing that, and I felt sorry to God. Out of frustration, I opened the Bible, where I found out what I had been missing out on. Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Ps 119:33–34 It is natural that we, God’s people, should keep the law of God with all our heart in any and every circumstance. How much more should we obey God’s law in peaceful,…
Kim Hye-been from Incheon, South Korea
Like David on That Day
David is described as a man after God’s own heart in the Bible. He is one of the ancestors of faith, whom I want to emulate the most. Whenever I consider his sincere love for God and firm faith in Him, I always think he was such an amazing person. One day, while I was reading the Bible, I opened my eyes wide in amazement at the following verse, which likens us to David. “On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them” Zec 12:8 I reminded myself again…
Hong Jeong-eun from Seongnam, Korea
The Reason We Should Practice God’s Word
If you look at the records of Jesus’ work, you can see Jesus healing the sick suffering from incurable diseases. Why are there many miraculous works of Jesus recorded in the Bible? In fact, they are a copy and shadow, giving us a lesson. On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Mt 9:12 Jesus came to the earth as the spiritual Doctor. Just as we go to see a doctor when we are sick, we must go to God for the healing of our souls that are mortal as a result of sin. Two thousand years ago, tax collectors and sinners who were with Jesus were despised by people, but…
Fujikawa Moto from Kyoto, Japan
Mother’s Creation
One day when I was on a short term mission, preaching the gospel overseas, I came across a flower on a street, unwittingly picked it up, and brushed off the dust. The flower was very beautiful at a close distance. I gave the flower to one sister, saying, “Sister, this beautiful flower resembles you.” Then with a twinkle in her eyes she said what made a profound impression upon my soul, “Mother’s creation!” “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Rev 4:11 Her word totally changed my point of view of faith. It really touched my heart…
Park Min-ji from Seoul, Korea
Christian
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Pe 4:12–16 Sometimes, we look for a prestigious title in the…
Alisa Szewcik from Seattle, WA, U.S.
I Have Prayed for You
Whenever I went through hardships and trials in my life of faith, I always prayed, seeking God’s help and asking for strength to overcome all of them. One day, a member read me a verse that really moved me. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Lk 22:31–32 Even though Jesus foreknew Peter would deny Him even for three times, Jesus never hated him. Instead, He prayed for Peter not to be wavered by the situation, but to have faith so that he could carry out his mission as an apostle of the New Covenant.…
Arnaldo Codoy from Mandaluyong, Philippines
How to Get Debts Written Off
Often times, we may find it hard to forget our hurt feelings. Although I thought that I let go of my hurt feelings, they would come up again and resurface in my heart. “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay…
Kimberly Martinez from Los Angeles, CA, U.S.
Wherever God Leads
[S]o David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.” . . . Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees . . . So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. 2 Sa 5:19–25 David asked God before going to battle against the Philistines. God promised David…
Lee Hyeong-hui from Lima, Peru
God Does Not Despise a Contrite Heart
Whenever I saw members bearing gospel fruit every month, I was worried about myself as I did not reap any result. I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I’m still not after God’s own heart.’ “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.” Ps 51:17–18 David, who was approved by God as the “one after My heart,” always had a contrite and repentant heart. Furthermore, he gathered materials for Jerusalem temple, eagerly hoping to establish it. As a result, God loved David so much. I want to fill my heart with humbleness and repentance, fully realizing that I…
Andrea Bahena Valdés from Toluca, Mexico
He Showed Them the Full Extent of His Love
“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” Jn 13:1 I usually read this verse in Korean, and I thought it meant that Jesus loved them until His death on the cross, until I read it in the New International Version Bible, which says that He showed them the full extent of His love. He did not even spare His own life for His people because He loved them perfectly, 100%. Heavenly Mother, too, said to Her children, “You are everything in My life.”…
Lee Eui-seon from Quezon City, Philippines
My Ugly Fingers
“I wish I had found you sooner when that happened. I should’ve let you have a surgery . . .” Today, too, my mother’s eyes get all teary, looking at my fingers. When I was little, my mother would stay up until late at night in the cold winter, making rice cake for the national holidays. I, a curious seven-year-old boy, took iron chopsticks from the kitchen in secret while my mother was preparing food. As I brought the iron chopsticks to the bedroom quietly, two small holes on the wall got my attention. I looked at them closely for a while, and stuck the chopsticks in those holes—Bam! I felt a great shock as if someone had hit my…
Lee Je-bong from Hwaseong, Korea
For Eternal Life
Gulliver’s Travels is a prose satire written by Irish writer Jonathan Swift, which begins with Part I: A Voyage to Lilliput and leads up to Part 4. This satire was adapted into a children’s story and has been read by many children. When I was a teenager, I had a chance to read the full text of Gulliver’s Travels and there was a very impressive part. The third nation Gulliver goes to after traveling in Lilliput and Brobdingnag is a flying island, where he hears from a high official about the Struldbrugs, people who are immortal. Gulliver starts to admire them, but he soon changes his mind. At first, Gulliver envied them at the thought that they would stay young…
Choi Jae-ung from Incheon, Korea
Mom and Light
When I was little, my house was located in a deep mountain valley. My village had only fourteen households, and there was no bus there. I had to walk forty minutes to go to the elementary school, and it took me almost one hour by bike to go to the middle school. The high school was too far to commute from my house, so I stayed at the school dormitory. During the week I stayed in the dorms, and on the weekends I went back home, where I received rice, side dishes, and pocket money to spend the following week. Every Saturday, I had to hurry to go back home. There was the bus that went near my neighborhood, but…
Ju Jeom-yeol from Yangsan, Korea
Only After I Became a Mom Myself
I was born in a remote village in Gangwon Province. There were many good things about living in the countryside, but I wished I would have many chances to eat delicious foods that were only sold in downtown. My favorite days were the national holidays and my birthday, when my uncle visited us with snack gift sets. Knowing how excited I was about special food, my mom prepared delicious food on my birthday every year. I moved to a city when I entered middle school and lived with my sister, who is two years older than I am, until I got married. My mom felt so bad that she couldn’t take care of me as she let me, her youngest…
Gi Geum-ju from Chuncheon, Korea
When We, Who Are Different from Each Other, Are United
A sigh came out when I opened the refrigerator door. There were sesame leaves and a little bit of bean sprouts, which were left over after I cooked spicy chewy noodles; some carrots and baby vegetables, which were left over from when I cooked bibimbap; and some water parsley, crown daisy, and a cabbage. A little bit of all kinds of vegetables that were left over was taking up space on one side of the refrigerator. After wondering how I could utilize those ingredients that would go bad if I left them in the fridge any longer, I decided to make buchimgae [Korean pancake]. It was perfect menu for the weather, for it was drizzling outside. There are many different…
Lee Hye-gyeong from Seoul, Korea
Hiking
“Mom, can’t you take my backpack?” One holiday when my husband went away on a business trip, I decided to go hiking after much thought over how I would spend time with my child. However, she whined from the moment we began. “Is it too heavy? We’ll get to the spring soon. Be patient a little more. Let’s take a rest there.” My child, who was not accustomed to hiking, felt burdened to even carry her backpack that just contained her own things like drinking water, snacks and so on. I was reminded of myself in my childhood days. Shortly after my younger sister was born, my mother gave birth to twins. With the newly born crying babies and my…
Cho Eun-jin from Changwon, Korea
Breathing of My Soul
“Mom, the doctor said that I have pneumothorax, and that I might die if I don’t have surgery right away.” I received a phone call from my son who went to hospital for having breathing difficulty. Then the doctor talked to me over the phone. “Hello, Ma’am. We just took an X-ray, and he is in a critical condition. He needs to have surgery right away. We will have him go through the admission process and get things ready for an operation, so please come right away. We will start the operation as soon as you arrive.” My mind went blank when I hung up the phone. ‘Pneumothorax?’ I pulled myself together and quickly searched for pneumothorax. It is a…
Kim Eun-mi from Cheongju, Korea