Enlightenment

The Power of Gratitude

I currently serve as a social service worker. Thanks to this role, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a work mission group, even while still a university student. At first, everything felt unfamiliar and difficult. Each morning, I could only think about wanting to go home, and I found myself admiring the other members who faithfully showed up to work every day. What changed me was something quite simple: a gratitude journal. The members of our Work Mission write and share gratitude journals every day. Whether it’s something small like being thankful for clear skies or a cup of coffee from the boss or something more serious, they always found something to be grateful for, even in the midst…

Kim Ga-gyeong from Gwangju, Korea

Who Has the Right to Forgive?

One night, after working late, I was on my way home when I saw a police car parked along the roadside near my apartment. A quarrel had broken out between a taxi driver and an intoxicated passenger. Curious, I stopped to observe. The passenger had vomited in the taxi, and the driver was demanding over 100,000 KRW (approx. 86 USD) in compensation. Feeling the amount was excessive, the passenger called the police. Initially, I too wondered if the taxi driver was asking for too much. But after hearing his explanation, my perspective shifted. The driver explained that vomiting incidents were not uncommon when transporting drunk passengers late at night. That’s why, before departure, he had clearly warned the passenger: “If…

Jeong Jae-pil from Anyang, Korea

A Spiritual Death Row Inmate

I read an article about death row inmates. It talked about prisoners who had been sentenced to death but remained in prison for years because their executions had not been carried out. The article mentioned that some of them were being transferred to other prison. I felt a chill run down my spine upon realizing that some of these notorious criminals—whose names I instantly recognized—were still alive. The comments section was flooded with criticism. Many people complained that housing them was a waste of taxpayers’ money, and some even insisted that their sentences should be carried out immediately. I found myself nodding in agreement—until I suddenly paused.
 “Aren’t I a spiritual death row inmate too?” People don’t usually feel sympathy…

Choi Hyeong-sun from Cheongju, Korea

My Mom’s Wounds

One afternoon, I received an unexpected call at work. It was the school nurse. “Your child injured his knee during P.E. I think you should take him to the hospital.” My heart dropped. I rushed to school without hesitation, swept my child into the car, and drove off—my mind a blank canvas of worry. Unsure where to turn, I contacted a few friends and was directed to a reputable orthopedic clinic nearby. After X-rays and several tests, the doctor recommended we go to a larger hospital. Thanks to prompt action, my child received surgery without delay. Once the crisis had passed, I called my mom. She anxiously inquired about her grandchild, asking again and again for details. When I finally…

Seo Jin-hee from Busan, Korea

Mom’s Kimchi

It was early winter. When I felt my phone vibrate, I had a hunch it was my mom—and I was right. She was calling to say the kimchi was ready and we should come pick it up. I didn’t even need to check the caller ID, because for the past three days, she’d been calling regularly with updates on the kimchi-making process. A few months earlier, Mom had given me a sack of dried red chili peppers—some she and my brother had grown over the summer, and another sack gifted by the neighbor. She had also left me with a heartfelt reminder: “Sweetheart, if I were still healthy, I’d clean and grind these for you. But I don’t have the…

Gu Yeon-hee from Suncheon, Korea

Mom’s Memory

While our mom was hospitalized, she couldn’t stop worrying about the vegetable patch she had planted. My sister and I confidently assured her that we would take care of everything, and went down to our childhood home. After spending the entire day in the field, our arms and legs felt like lead, and our shoulders and backs ached from exhaustion. That night, as I tossed and turned, my eyes landed on a thick notebook. “Oh my goodness . . . ” It was a journal—meticulously kept by our mom. I remembered how, after selling her modest harvest, she would sit down each evening to write in her ledger. That notebook held two years’ worth of her quiet, challenging life in…

Kim Seon-suk from Chungju, Korea

The Day I Helped My Dad

My dad delivers snacks and beverages to construction sites. It’s physically demanding work—carrying heavy boxes and, at times, even refrigerators—especially for someone over sixty. Although I often worried about him, I never really thought to help, until this past Labor Day when I finally made up my mind to lend a hand. When I told him I wanted to work with him, he laughed and said, “It’s going to be tough. Are you sure you can handle it? Don’t tell me afterward that you’re never doing this again.”
 That morning, just getting out of my cozy blankets to get ready felt like a battle. I kept thinking, “I work, too. Shouldn’t I be able to sleep in and rest on…

Park So-yeon from Seoul, Korea

Visualization Techniques

At work, I received an email offering a birthday gift—any book of my choice. Drawn by its title, I selected a self-help book that seemed light yet insightful. Among its chapters, one section left a lasting impression: Visualization Techniques.
 Visualization, the book explained, is the practice of mentally picturing the successful fulfillment of one’s goal. According to research, students who employed this technique in their studies significantly outperformed those who did not. The key to effective visualization lies in vivid specificity. The human brain responds more strongly to images than to words and often cannot distinguish between imagination and reality. To bring a goal to life, one must paint it vividly in the mind as if the scene were unfolding…

Kim Min-jae from Gwangju, Korea

Growing Pains

One day, my elementary school-aged son came to me in tears, saying his legs hurt. I massaged them, and he seemed to feel better at least for a while. But within a few days, the pain returned so severely that he couldn’t even bend his ankle. We decided to take him to the hospital the next morning. That night, I stayed up, applying hot compresses and massaging his legs. As I held my son, who tossed and turned in pain, I prayed that it was nothing serious. By the time morning came, his pain had vanished. It was as if nothing had happened. What he had experienced, it turned out, was simply growing pains. His bones were growing faster than…

Park Han-na from Daegu, Korea

Importance of Reading the Instructions Carefully

While out shopping, I picked up an electric whisk, hoping it would make my steamed eggs smoother and fluffier. When I got home, I inserted the batteries and gave it a test, but nothing happened. Thinking the batteries might be dead, I swapped them out for fresh ones, but still, it wouldn’t turn on. Just as I was about to call the store to complain, I noticed a small diagram printed on the side of the whisk. It showed the correct way to insert the batteries. That was when it hit me; I remembered a white sticker on that spot when I first opened the package. It had been the instruction label, but I had peeled it off without a…

Chu Bo-ra from Changwon, Korea

I’m Grateful to Be a Mom

It was one Sunday morning. I woke up after sleeping in, only to find the sun already high in the sky. Lying next to my sleeping son, I wanted to sleep a little longer too. But I couldn’t because I’m a mom, and a mom has to make breakfast. I woke my son and jokingly said: “Son, I think I want to quit being a mom.” “Why?” “Because I feel like I’ve been a mom for too long. Now you be my mom.” “When I go to heaven, I’ll be your mom,” he said. Hearing his words, I thought of our Heavenly Mother. Even today, Mother begins the day at dawn, praying for Her children, watching over us, and protecting…

Jeong Mi-yeong From Seoul, Korea

Rejoicing Together

While attending a lecture on language acquisition, I came across an insight that struck a deeper chord. Many people find learning a foreign language burdensome. Difficult pronunciations, complex grammar, and unfamiliar cultural nuances often become stumbling blocks that lead learners to give up. In such moments, the attitude of those around them becomes crucial. Rather than pointing out mistakes or lamenting how hard the process must be, it is far better to refrain from anxious comments. Such words only amplify the learner’s inner doubts and tempt them to quit. What truly helps is reminding them of the joy that awaits beyond the hurdles—offering encouragement and courage, not concern. It reminded me of our journey of faith. The Spirit himself testifies…

Kim Hye-bin From Yongin, Korea

God’s New Year Gift

A few years ago, I had the joy of leading a coworker into the arms of God. While we worked together, he attended worship services. But after he changed jobs and later enlisted in the military, we lost contact. Then, just a few days into the new year, a message from him appeared on my phone. He told me he had completed his military service, and asked what time Sabbath service began. My heart leaped. I replied without hesitation, and that very Sabbath, we worshiped together to welcome the new year. Over lunch after the service, he shared what had moved him to reach out. Life in the military had been difficult, he said, but whenever things grew hard, he…

Lee Yeong-jik From Daegu, Korea

The Power of a Flower Letter

With the arrival of the New Year, I sent Flower Letters to my relatives and friends—those I rarely had the chance to see in person due to work. In each handwritten note, I offered warm greetings and heartfelt wishes that they might be richly blessed by God in the year ahead.
 The first reply came from my cousin and his wife. We had always kept our distance, perhaps due to the age gap or the reserved nature of our relationship, speaking only when necessary. But to my surprise, my cousin called me first. “Thank you for the touching letter,” he said, his voice carrying an unexpected warmth. His wife and my friends also expressed their gratitude, and even set the…

Ahn Hee-yeon From Seoul, Korea

God Who Helps the Weak

“Will I be able to do this?” That question echoed in my heart every time I stood on the threshold of sharing the gospel. I longed to do well, yet even before I began, fear would grip me and I found myself paralyzed by a deep sense of inadequacy. Frustrated and seeking comfort, I reached for the Bible—turning its pages without a plan, only a desperate heart. Then my eyes landed on a passage that stirred my soul: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too…

No Hee-jin From Seoul, Korea

The Absence of a Mom

On the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday, I was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital due to a sudden illness. Had it not been for the holiday, I could not have brought myself to leave, knowing my young daughter would have been home alone. But with my husband off work, I felt reassured. He told me not to worry about anything at home, and I convinced myself that this hospital stay might be a kind of heaven-sent vacation.
 That illusion shattered within a day. At night, nurses came and went, checking my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and changing my IV drip—waking me again and again. During the day, another patient in the same room kept the television blaring…

Kim Hyeon-im from Suncheon, Korea

My Son’s Way of Saying, “I Love You”

One day, out of the blue, my son announced that he wanted to give me an allowance. “Really? It’s not even my birthday.” I couldn’t help but laugh—what money does an elementary schooler have to offer as a gift? “How much are we talking?” He said he’d give me a thousand won (about one U.S. dollar). Not in cash, though—he wanted to transfer it from his allowance account into mine. Seeing an opportunity to teach him how to send money via bank transfer, I gave him my account number. A few minutes later, a notification popped up. As I glanced at the transfer details, my heart swelled, and tears pricked my eyes. The sender’s name read: Mom, I love you.
…

Yu Seung-hee From Busan, Korea

Why Mother Is Waiting

“Mommy waited a while until you were born.” This is something I have often heard from my mom since I was young. She said that after getting married, she had hoped to have a child quickly, but contrary to her expectations, she had to wait a long time before she conceived me. Because of that, many people around her celebrated the news, and when she was heavily pregnant, she proudly stuck out her belly even more, wanting to show it off. However, as the main character of this often-repeated story, I never felt particularly moved by it. After all, it was my mom’s feelings, not mine. Sometimes, I couldn’t understand why she kept telling the same story over and over.…

Jo Seong-ye From Cuiabá, Brazil

Then I’ll Just Always Put It Nicely

A young sister had just joined the student group—a first-year middle schooler full of bright, radiant energy. As usual, we were casually exchanging messages when I sent a playful remark: “My mental age is pretty low. If we’re going by that, yours might actually be higher than mine. To put it nicely, it means I’m pure . . . but to put it bluntly, maybe just a little foolish.”
 Soon after, her reply popped up on my screen: “Then I’ll always put it nicely.” That simple response stayed with me. Through her gentle and optimistic way of seeing things—choosing to focus on the good rather than the flaw—I was reminded of the importance of looking at others beautifully, and the…

Bae Su-jin From Cheongju, Korea

To Prosper in All Things and Be in Good Health

I didn’t understand much about the Bible at first, but one thing I was sure of: I needed to keep the Passover. With that conviction alone, I received the blessing of a new life immediately. At the time, I wasn’t earnestly seeking God, nor was I particularly drawn to the Bible, so my spiritual understanding was slow to unfold. I often found myself admiring those whose faith seemed steady and deep. Perhaps that’s why, when the truth—that our God the Father and Mother truly exist—finally reached my heart, I was overcome with joy. I didn’t know what to do with the feeling; it was so immense, so pure. In that moment, one verse caught my eye: Dear friend, I pray…

Kim Eun-yeong From Incheon, Korea