Faith & Life

The Size of Love

Though I often said with my lips that God’s love is wide and deep, I could not truly grasp it, for it is invisible to the eye. One day, while reading the Bible, I found a verse that allowed me to measure, in part, the size of God’s love: “God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Ti 2:4 We are sinners who, because of the sins we committed in heaven, were sentenced to death (Ro 6:23). Yet God desires that even such sinners be saved. That is why He Himself put on the clothes of the flesh and came to this earth, enduring hardship, pain, and humiliation.…

Choi Miran from Seongnam, Korea

Like a Tree Planted by the Water

I was often troubled by the question of how to bear good fruit. I had faithfully sown the seeds of the Word, yet no visible results seemed to follow. Then one day, a passage I heard in a sermon deeply moved my heart: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jer 17:7–8 Just as a tree planted by the water keeps its leaves green even in the…

Jung Woo-hee from Jeonju, Korea

Mask

No matter how severe the fine dust was, I never used to wear a face mask. But now, I put one on faithfully from the moment I step outside until I return home. There are even times when I realize I’ve forgotten my mask and rush back to get it. It has become almost impossible to use public transportation or enter stores without one. Perhaps because I never liked wearing masks to begin with, they still feel uncomfortable. On days when the temperature rises even slightly, it becomes especially hard. With half my face covered, sweat pours down like rain, and breathing grows difficult. Even when the wind blows, it does not feel cool, and the urge to take off…

Kim Hye-seon from Seoul, Korea

The Treasure in a Life of Faith

On a television program, a university professor once spoke about the Korean language and writing. One might wonder what could possibly be difficult for a Korean person about speaking Korean. Yet recently, reading comprehension—the ability to read and understand written text—has become a major social concern, which caught my attention. Considering that language skills form the foundation for understanding knowledge in various fields such as science, mathematics, and social studies, and that they are also the basis for expressing one’s thoughts clearly and communicating effectively, it is indeed an essential ability for everyone. The professor suggested “word collecting” as a way to improve one’s Korean skills, saying that if you collect words one by one and keep them in your…

Jo Jae-eon from Stuttgart, Germany

The Reason the Door Opens

My 14-month-old daughter loves pressing buttons around the house and watching what happens. Whenever she presses the light switch and the living room lights turn on, she claps her hands with a bright smile—as if she’s accomplished something wonderful. When she’s especially delighted, she even shouts her own little exclamation, “Da!” Her favorite buttons are on the door locks—both for the main entrance of our apartment building and for our home. Whenever we return from an outing, she squirms in my arms, pointing excitedly at the door, eager to press the buttons herself. If no one else is passing by, we stop and let her try. Of course, the door never opens from the random numbers she presses. After a…

Kim Jong-bin from Gimje, Korea

A Great Way to Remove Weeds

A teacher brought his students to a field overgrown with weeds to teach them one final lesson before ending the semester. Pointing to the field, the teacher asked, “How can you get rid of the weeds?” Since it was the last lesson, the students were expecting to be taught something profound. However, it seemed like a trivial question, so they answered carelessly, “We can plow the field with shovels or picks.” “It would be better to burn them all by fire.” “We can just uproot them.” Nodding his head, the teacher said to the students, “Weeds like greed, selfishness, and hatred may grow in people’s hearts. The assignment for the last class is to go back and try to get…

The Beautiful Gospel Work in La Paz

The members in Tijuana and I had longed to participate in a short-term mission. God knew our minds and opened the way to preach in La Paz. We were very happy to hear the news. Fervor welled up in all of us at the thought that we were participating in the great work of God through the short-term mission. Tijuana is located in the northern tip of Baja California and borders the United States, and La Paz appears when you continue down toward the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula from Tijuana. After driving eighteen hours without stopping, we arrived in the beautiful city, La Paz. On the first day of the mission trip, many people listened to the…

Tijuana, Mexico

It’s Never Too Late

One day, an elderly man, who wanted to learn Russian, went to a Russian language school to enroll for classes. A staff member kindly asked him, “Have you come to enroll your son?” “No, I’ve come to enroll myself.” The staff member was surprised, so the elderly man explained the situation. “My daughter-in-law is Russian. I’m frustrated because I cannot communicate with her at all. I wish to have a simple conversation with her.” “Well, then, how old are you?” “I’m 77 years old.” “It will take you at least three years to learn to have a conversation in Russian. By then, you will be 80 years old.” Then, the elderly man replied with a smile, “If I do nothing…

Observation

When Alexander the Great was twelve years old, his father, the king of Macedonia, purchased a prized horse named Bucephalus at a great price. He brought his son and courtiers to the training grounds to test-ride it. However, whenever anyone tried to mount the horse, it stiffened, kicked violently, and refused to let anyone ride. The king grew angry, declaring that the horse was no prize but a useless, untamable beast. At that moment, young Alexander stepped forward and said he would try riding it. His father chuckled, and the courtiers laughed at the boy’s boldness. But Alexander quietly took the horse by the reins and turned it to face the sun. Then he walked beside it, gently stroking its…

The Kneeling Trees

In the tree line zone of the Rocky Mountains, 3,000 meters above sea level, trees cannot grow straight because of the fierce winds. Instead, they bend and take on shapes that seem as if they are kneeling. Their bowed forms are marks of endurance—silent evidence of having survived in harsh conditions through patience and strength. Interestingly, the world’s finest violins—renowned for their deep and resonant tones—are crafted from these very kneeling trees. Just as those trees, shaped by wind and hardship, produce the most beautiful music, so too can those who endure life’s trials create the most profound and exquisite melodies of life.

The One Word I Needed to Hear

A customer once stormed into a snack company, angrily complaining. “There was a foreign substance inside the snack bag. I ate several pieces without realizing—what are you going to do about it?” The staff member immediately approached the customer and said, “I’m very sorry. How can we compensate you?” But the customer’s anger did not subside. Other employees joined in, apologizing and offering explanations, yet nothing seemed to calm him down. Then the company president, who had been quietly observing the situation, stepped forward and spoke gently: “Are you feeling all right?” At those words, the customer’s expression softened. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. All your employees only made excuses. Now I feel better.”

Question Marks and Exclamation Points

When a friend arrives late for an appointment, instead of saying, “What if you’re late again today?” try saying, “It must have been tough getting here!” When a junior coworker makes frequent mistakes, instead of saying, “Did you mess up again?” try saying, “Well, that can happen!” When you cannot reach your sibling in an urgent moment, instead of saying, “Why don’t you ever answer your phone?” try saying, “I’m just glad nothing bad happened!” By turning question marks into exclamation points, negativity fades and positivity takes its place.

My Father’s Heart

I can say with confidence that my dad loves me more than anyone else in the world. That love has never changed from the time I was little until now. Even though I live abroad and we only see each other through daily video calls, my dad’s love and concern for me remain exactly the same. Whenever he sees a beautiful flower, he captures it with his camera and sends it to me. When he comes across my old pictures—like my elementary, middle, and high school graduation photos—he sends them with a short message: “You’re so pretty.” If he visits somewhere nice or sees a breathtaking view, he immediately calls me on video so I can enjoy it with him…

Won Seon-young from the 3rd Mexico City Church, Mexico

God Begins a New Work

When something into which we have poured much time and effort comes to nothing overnight, anyone would feel despair. Yet at the very moment when it seems that everything has ended, God begins a new work. Samuel deeply cherished Saul, whom he had anointed as king according to God’s will. Therefore, no one grieved more than Samuel over Saul’s downfall. But while Samuel was still in sorrow, God had already chosen David and was beginning a new history (1 Sa 16:1). “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. . . . In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Pr 16:3, 9 When it feels as though all my…

Seong-eon Lee from Goyang, Korea

The Bond Between Mother and Child

I cannot use a vegetable slicer. I’ve never been hurt by one, nor have I seen anyone get hurt, yet whenever I see it, a strange fear grips me—as if it might cut my hand. For that reason, I’ve never used a vegetable slicer even once. One day, while grocery shopping, I told my mom about this. Then I heard an astonishing story. When my mom was pregnant with me, she was seriously injured while using a vegetable slicer. She cut her hand deeply and bled a lot. She had to go to the hospital to get the wound stitched, but because she was pregnant, she could not be given any medication. She endured the treatment without anesthesia. My mom…

Nam Da-hye from Suwon, Korea

Positive or Negative Suggestions

An experiment was conducted to observe the effect of giving repeated negative suggestions to a healthy person. First, someone said to the person, “You don’t look well. Are you feeling sick?” The healthy person casually replied, “No, I’m fine.” Later, a second person met the same individual and said, “Did something bad happen? You don’t look very healthy.” This time, the person responded, “Hmm, I’m not sure. For some reason, I don’t feel so great.” Then a third person came along and said, “Are you sick? You really don’t look well.” Now the reply was different: “Yeah, I don’t feel too good.” Even a healthy person can subconsciously be influenced by repeated negative suggestions. On the other hand, what would…

There Is No Such Thing as Coincidence

I moved from Daejeon to Anyang to attend high school. Two years later, I moved again from Anyang to another city, and my commute became much longer. It was only after riding the bus for over an hour to get to school that I realized how large Anyang truly was. While living in Anyang, my range of activity had been quite small—just my high school, Zion, the subway station, and the intercity bus terminal. Everything I needed was within a ten-minute walk. Because all these places were so conveniently clustered together, I had assumed Anyang was simply a small city. Looking back, I see that this was nothing short of a miracle. They say there is no such thing as…

Bae Su-jin from Cheongju, Korea

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.”