Faith & Life

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.”

“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…