Faith & Life

Removing Stains

My son, who is in elementary school, loves playing in nature. Since he enjoys catching insects and fish, he always leaves the house in clean clothes in the morning but often returns covered in dirt and stains. The problem is that if I put his clothes straight into the washing machine, the stains remain, and the clothes look as if they were never washed. Dark-colored clothes can hide them a bit, but on light-colored ones, the stains stand out vividly. No matter how many times I wash them, they do not come out easily, so I end up setting them aside in a pile until I have time to work on them. On that day, I spray stain remover on…

Yoo Seunghee from Busan, Korea

The Long Roots of the Moso Bamboo

The Moso bamboo, which mainly grows in China and other parts of Asia, has a very unusual growth pattern. For the first four years, it hardly grows at all. But in the fifth year, it suddenly begins to shoot up—growing more than five centimeters a day—and within just two months, it can reach a height of over fifteen meters. How can it grow so tall in such a short time? The secret lies underground, in its roots. During those first five years, the Moso bamboo is busy growing long, deep, and strong roots. Thanks to this hidden foundation, it can later achieve its remarkable growth. The five years that seemed like stillness were, in fact, a vital period of preparation…

The Words ‘I’m Sorry’

When you make a mistake but refuse to apologize, the other person receives three unspoken messages: “The problem is yours.” “I do not respect you.” “I do not value our relationship.” But when you say, “I’m sorry,” a completely different message is conveyed: “It’s my fault.” “I respect you.” “I value our relationship.”

“I Like Being a Mom!”

The day before my college graduation, I started to look for what was needed for the graduation like where the ceremony would be held and until what time I had to be there. Just in time, Mom asked me about the graduation cap. The graduation cap was not something I could get naturally if I just attend the graduation. “As for my graduation, the department office lent graduation caps,” said my mom. When I searched here and there on the school website, I found Mom was right. I would’ve been confused if she had not given me a tip about it. On the graduation day, I took pictures with my friends, putting on the graduation cap which I got from…

Seoul, South Korea

Our Concert

Unlike today, old pipe organs could only generate sound when a person forced air into the pipes through a bellows. One day, a famous organist held a recital. The audience applauded his magnificent and graceful performance. When the organist went backstage during the break, the old man who worked the bellows on the organ welcomed him with a bright smile, saying, “Sir, today our concert is successful.” Then the organist, being offended, said, “ ‘Our?’ You did not play the organ, so how can it be ‘our’ concert?” “Sir, didn’t I work the bellows during the concert?” The organist dismissed it and went back on stage to finish the rest of the performance. The organist took a deep breath and…

The Reason the Way to Heaven Is Peaceful and Smooth

One day while preaching the gospel, a childhood friend came to my mind. I really wanted to deliver the good news of salvation to her, but I couldn’t remember how to get to her house. I earnestly prayed to Heavenly Father and Mother to allow me to meet her. Finally, thanks to God’s help, I remembered visiting her house with my mom. Actually, the one who took me to her house was my mom when I was young; she was the child of my mom’s friend. Several days later, I visited her with my mom. When I arrived at the garden, the memory of playing around in bare feet slowly returned. After spending a good time with each other, we…

Saru Baskota from Kirtipur, Nepal

Give Your Family the Gift of Cuteness!

Soft and fluffy babies, wriggling baby animals, tiny and adorable miniatures, and so on—when we see small and cute things, a smile comes to our face without even thinking about it. We want to pet them, and sometimes even feel the urge to playfully bite them. Like this, people have a natural psychology of liking cute things. When we see something cute, the brain releases oxytocin and dopamine, hormones that make us feel love and a sense of bonding. It is said that this even works when we are angry or under stress. With that in mind, this month, try giving the gift of cuteness to your family. Let the cuteness within you shine to the fullest and deliver happiness!…

The Day I Picked Red Peppers

“Sorry, but can you come help pick red peppers?” One late night, unable to sleep because of the heat, I received a short text from my brother, who lives in the countryside and helps our parents with farming. Even in that single sentence, I could sense his desperation. The next morning, I caught the first bus and headed straight to my parents’ house. “Mom, your worker has arrived!” Mom greeted me with a bright smile. She was glad to have an extra pair of hands during such a busy season, but I could see the worry in her eyes—she knew how hard it would be for me to endure the midsummer sun. When we arrived at the red pepper field,…

Baek Kyung-ran from Gwangju, Korea

What Empathy Is

Unlike me, who has many years of driving experience, my wife did not have a driver’s license. So whenever we went anywhere, driving was always my responsibility. Sometimes, when an aggressive driver suddenly cut in, I would be startled and feel a surge of irritation, but I kept it in. Yet when my wife scolded me, asking what I would do if I hit the brakes too suddenly, I felt unfairly blamed. I wanted to argue back, “If I don’t brake when someone cuts in like that, we’ll crash!” But I stayed quiet, reminding myself to focus on driving safely. Eventually, my wife got her driver’s license. However, even after several years, the number of times she has actually driven…

Oh Dae-yeop from Seoul, Korea

Refusal, With Warmth and Consideration!

When faced with a task that is difficult to accomplish alone, or when we wish to fulfill a small desire or goal, we often turn to others for help—asking for big or small favors. And naturally, we hope the other person will say yes. Because simple favors seem easy to grant and difficult ones are hard even to ask for, the answer that anyone seeking help most longs to hear is, without doubt, “Yes.” If the other person readily agrees, there is no issue. The requester feels satisfied that their wish has been fulfilled, while the one granting the favor feels a sense of pride. Such moments can even strengthen the bond between them, creating opportunities for their relationship to…

No Home, but Never Without a Dream

Khadijah Williams was born homeless. Her mother, only fourteen years old at the time, had dropped out of school when she became pregnant and left home. The two moved from one homeless shelter to another, often ending up in slums, sometimes digging through trash bags just to find food. For someone constantly on the move, struggling to survive each day, dreams and hope seemed like a luxury. Still, Khadijah’s mother did everything she could to send her daughter to school whenever possible. Though they had to move so frequently that Khadijah changed schools twelve times and her attendance was inconsistent, her mother always made sure she looked as clean and tidy as possible for class. Khadijah devoured newspapers and magazines…

My Wife and the Stuffed Cucumbers

To celebrate our first child’s birthday and share a meal together, my wife and I decided to visit their place. It had been five months since the oldest left home for work and the second for college. A couple of months ago, we had visited them, but the joy of the reunion was short-lived. We ended up scolding them and returned home heavy-hearted after seeing how hurt they were. My wife, who had carefully prepared homemade side dishes for that visit, seemed even more upset than I was. I thought she would never make food for them again. But as if nothing had happened, she began preparing side dishes once more. “Why go through all this trouble again when the…

Choi Heon-chim from Wonju, Korea

The More I Give Thanks

On a hot summer day, a blackout occurred in the apartment due to excessive electricity usage. After four hours, the emergency generator was operated, but before long, another blackout occurred. The announcement asking residents to refrain from using electricity except for the refrigerator continued late into the night. I was worried because I had to move luggage brought from my parents’ house from the parking lot, but I was thankful that the elevator was operating. I was thankful that the apartment stairway lights were on so it wasn’t dark. I was thankful that I could use my phone’s flashlight when going to the bathroom, and that water came out so I could wash. I was thankful that the food in…

Im Kyung-a from Gwangju, Korea

Presenting to God With Thanksgiving

Recently, my worries have increased. I wanted to find a solution, knowing that merely worrying would change nothing. To me in such a state, God gave the answer: Be thankful. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 While thinking about how to put thankfulness into practice, I came across the idea of a “gratitude journal.” At first, I wondered what effect simply writing down things I was thankful for could have. Thinking I had nothing to lose, I decided to give it a try. Without any set format, I began filling a notebook with a list of things for which I was grateful. Surprisingly,…

Kim Min-gi from Gyeongju, Korea

How I Saved My Younger Brother

I was born as the seventh child in a family with seven daughters and one son. I had nothing special and drew no attention of people. Not only the villagers but also my relatives would even ask my name whenever they gathered on the national holidays. However, there were times when adults would pay attention to me. It was when they talked about my younger brother, the eighth child in my family. Since he was a precious son, I was an indispensable figure when they tried to find out after whom he was born. Accordingly, the most important mission for me in my childhood was taking care of my younger brother. When I think about it now, since I was…

Im Ji-yeon from Seongnam, South Korea

Greeting Opens the Heart

A TV show conducted an experiment: A man entered an elevator with his hands full of luggage and dropped a bag as he was getting off. The purpose of the experiment was to see how many people would help him pick up his bag. At first, only 3 out of 12 people helped him. However, in the second experiment nine people helped him. Why was there a different result? In this experiment, the man greeted the people as he stepped into the elevator, and when he dropped the bag more people helped him. This demonstrates that greeting people has the power to open their hearts. Greeting shows respect and consideration, and is the first step in forming relationships.

A Life of Steady Change

I once read that it is harder to maintain a changed self than to change from one’s current state to a better one. Looking back on my life, I have found that to be true. I could make plans and try something once or twice, but carrying it out consistently was never easy. The life of faith is the same. Even though I always resolve to change and live as a true child of God, it is difficult for us—who still carry the nature of sin—to put that realization into practice every single day, every single moment. To such people as us, God gave this teaching: “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself…

Yoo Bo-mi from Soon cheon, Korea

The Meaning of the Morning Glory

The symbolic meanings given to flowers according to their characteristics are called the “language of flowers.” For example, the green rose symbolizes “noble love that exists only in heaven.” I learned this from a new sister I met at a club gathering, and for some reason, it deeply moved me. That encounter sparked my curiosity about the meanings of other flowers as well. The hyacinth represents humble love, the cotton flower signifies a mother’s love, and the morning glory stands for good news. The moment I learned that the morning glory symbolizes good news, I was immediately reminded of our mission to proclaim the gospel of heaven. As those who spread the good news of the kingdom of heaven with…

Jo Min-ah from Seongnam, Korea

The Sound That Eases My Longing

“Turn left.” “Continue straight.” Even when I know the way to my destination perfectly well, I still find myself entering the address into the navigation system—just to hear its voice. I think it started after I installed a navigation system that offered Korean-language guidance. Having lived abroad for nearly twenty years since leaving Korea, I no longer face much difficulty in daily life. But when I first settled here, waking up each morning to the unfamiliar language around me made my head ache all day. If a conversation drifted even slightly beyond my understanding, I would strain to keep up, forcing my brain to work faster. When that failed, I would simply “switch off” my mind and give up trying…

Kwon Soon-young from Fresno, CA, U.S.

Air

I work in a job that requires a lot of physical movement. These days, because of COVID-19 prevention measures, I wear a mask while working, and even the slightest movement makes me feel suffocated and irritable. But when I move to a different spot for a moment, take off the mask, and take a deep breath, there is no greater joy than filling my lungs with fresh air. Then I thought, “If I had to live in an environment where the air was even more restricted than it is now, how stifling and difficult would it be?” With that change in perspective, my irritation turned into gratitude. Today as well, I thank God for giving me the simple happiness of…

Kim Min-seong from Suwon, Korea