Faith & Life

Like Learning a Language

Learning a foreign language in an unfamiliar land was far from easy. After much trial and error, I began by memorizing simple greetings, basic words, and short phrases step by step, like a child learning to walk. Gradually, my efforts bore fruit. After a year, I found myself able to carry on everyday conversations with relative ease. With the basics in place, I assumed my language skills would naturally improve over time. I became complacent and allowed my studies to slip. But I was mistaken. My progress stalled completely. In fact, I began to forget words and expressions I had once memorized so diligently. It felt as though I was regressing. Realizing this, I resolved to begin again. The more…

Mun So-yeong from Mexico City, Mexico

Let Me Serve

There’s a saying: “Don’t let familiarity make you forget what is precious.” It’s true when we grow accustomed to people, objects, or situations, we often lose sight of their value. One day, as I flipped through the pages of the New Song book to play the piano, a Bible verse written in the margin caught my eye: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Php 2:3 I paused to reflect: how many times have I greeted my brothers and sisters in Zion with a warm smile or a gentle tone? The moments were embarrassingly few. In times of stress or frustration, I had—without meaning to—let sharp words slip, wounding those I dearly…

Jahng Ji-eun from Pyeongtaek, Korea

A Life Sustained by Mother’s Grace

Back in my school days, I had a hard time waking up in the morning. Even though my mom was busy preparing breakfast, she would go back and forth between the kitchen and my room, trying to rouse me from sleep. When I still wouldn’t wake up, she’d sigh and say, “Waking you up every morning is going to shorten my life.” Thanks to her perseverance, I received a perfect attendance award at graduation, and my mom was honored with a “Proud Mother” award. She was overjoyed, saying she never imagined she’d receive a prize because of her daughter. Even after I became an adult, just a small gesture of care from me was enough to make her smile and…

Shin Mi-ae from Seoul, Korea

Nothing Is to Be Taken for Granted

My younger sister, now a college freshman, was set to attend the Worldwide Academic Year Opening Worship 2025 with our mom. It was the first time either of them had attended such an event, and both were visibly excited. Caught up in their enthusiasm, I offered to pack them lunchboxes. True to my word, I woke up early that morning and prepared their meals. After sending them off, I went back to sleep. When I woke up, a message from my mom was waiting: “We’ll enjoy the lunch, thank you.”
Though I had used only simple ingredients, her words made me feel unexpectedly proud like I had done something truly meaningful. I recalled a time in college when I briefly brought…

Gahng Ji-yeon from Gimje, Korea

The Power of Shared Heart: Empathy

It is said that many companies today prefer to hire new employees with a high empathy quotient. Empathy—the ability to align one’s thoughts and feelings with those of another—is a powerful skill. Those who possess it often demonstrate humility, earning the trust and respect of their colleagues. God, too, teaches us to become such people within the faith. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Ro 12:15–16 The Bible teaches us to clothe ourselves with humility, to share in both the joys and sorrows of our brothers and sisters, and to strive for sincere…

Jo Mun-gyeong from Cheongju, Korea

Sweet as Honey When Offered: “Try a Bite!”

People feel a special kind of happiness when they enjoy delicious food with their loved ones. But there’s a way to make that happiness even richer: before taking the first bite, say, “Try a bite,” or “Please have some.” That tender moment—when you warmly invite a loved one to taste the food first—creates a deep sense of joy that goes beyond the feeling of being full. This month, why not offer the first bite to your family? Whatever the dish, it’s sure to taste as sweet as honey! Tip Cook or buy a dish your family loves. Place a tasty bite on top of their rice spoon. Gently slide the dish closer to them. Offer the first bite directly to…

Words and Glass

While helping with the construction of Zion, I once assisted in applying insulation film to the windows. That’s when I learned an important lesson: although wiping the film with a cloth or microfiber can make the surface look clean, it often leaves behind countless fine scratches. A professional advised us to use only soft flannel for cleaning, as it was gentle enough to avoid damaging the film. Yet even with flannel, scratches could still appear, revealing how delicate the surface truly was. “You see these marks left behind even after cleaning with flannel?” he said, pointing them out. “That’s not damage to the film; it’s the glass itself that’s already been scratched. Once the glass is marred, no matter how…

Ah Yeong-jun from Seongnam, Korea

A Gift

As a child, I would prepare small gifts for my parents on special occasions—their wedding anniversary, birthdays, and the like. My only source of money came from running errands or the modest allowance my parents themselves had given me. More often than not, it wasn’t enough. So I would go to my mom and ask for help in buying a gift—for her. Looking back, it was an endearingly ironic situation. Yet she would always smile, touched not by the gift itself, but by the heart behind it. Spiritually, it feels much the same. I long to bring joy to our Heavenly Father and Mother through the gospel work, yet without Their help, I can do nothing at all. Though my…

Lee Seong-jae from Seongnam, Korea

When the Purpose Is Clear

Waking up my daughter each morning—especially when she’s in her usual sleepy state—takes a great deal of patience. I always try to wake her gently, hoping not to start the day on a sour note. But when she remains dazed and half-asleep, I inevitably find myself raising my voice. As the clock ticks closer to school time, I end up ushering her out of bed and into the bathroom, often more forcefully than I intended. Yet tomorrow morning, I’m certain she’ll wake up early all on her own—because she’s going on a field trip to the ice rink. On days when there’s a school outing or even a simple picnic with her academy, she needs no prompting. Not only does…

Kim Hyeon-im from Suncheon, Korea

Wheat-Flour Tteokguk

During my childhood, my mother ran a tight household, raising and feeding six children. One day, when I came home from school, she announced loudly: “Tonight, we’re having tteokguk!” “Really? Wow!” Back when rice was scarce, tteokguk was a rare treat like catching a star in the sky. I must have finished three or four bowls without pausing for breath. I can confidently say it was the most delicious tteokguk I had ever tasted. Years later, my mother confessed that it wasn’t made with rice cakes. Wanting to give her children a break from the daily meals of barley and wheat flour, she came up with an idea. She rolled out wheat-flour dough, sliced it thinly, and cooked it in…

Ahn Seong-bun from Busan, Korea

Returning Love

One day, as I was getting on a bus, my usual transit card failed to register. Worried about holding up the passengers behind me, I moved to the seat just behind the driver and kept trying to scan it, but it kept displaying an error message. I felt extremely flustered. Just then, a woman behind me said, “I’ll scan mine for you,” and kindly covered my fare before returning to her seat. I was so grateful. A few days later, a man who appeared to have some physical difficulty boarded the bus. He struggled with his wallet and couldn’t scan his card properly. Watching him fumble, I said, “Let me pay for you,” and tapped my card on his behalf.…

Kim Min-jeong from Changwon, Korea

The Older We Get, the More We Resemble Our Parents

I recently paid a long-overdue visit to my cousin. As I stepped through the door and saw her coming to greet me, I was momentarily taken aback; it felt as though my late aunt, who had passed more than a decade ago, was standing before me. Over the seven years since we’d last met, my cousin had grown into a striking likeness of her mother. Sensing my surprise, she was the first to speak. Being the youngest of four siblings, I had always heard that I resembled my father more than the others. Now, well into my forties, with gray threading through my hair and fine lines forming around my mouth, such comments have only grown more frequent. In fact,…

Choi Heon-chim from Wonju, Korea

Everything That Was Written in the Past

I once attended a lecture titled “A Nation That Forgets Its History Has No Future.” As we revisited Korea’s painful past, someone remarked, “At the time, our country was powerless, so there was nothing we could do.” The speaker responded with a thought-provoking question: “Then if our country were weak now, would it be acceptable for such things to happen again?” No one could agree with that idea. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4 The Bible records countless examples of those who were blessed through obedience to God’s word, and others who faced…

Shim Hyeon-ji from Guri, Korea

Two Are Better Than One

To mark the upcoming biblical festival, I joined the Zion members from my university club in a special challenge: to offer a united prayer ten thousand times over forty days. At first, the goal seemed daunting—perhaps even impossible. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Ecc 4:9–11 Day after day, we shared our progress and encouraged one another. As the forty days drew to a close, what once seemed unimaginable became…

Choi Yun-jeong from Daejeon, Korea

Like the Double Bass

I’ve always had a fondness for the New Songs arranged as instrumental pieces. During choir performances, my ears are naturally drawn to the orchestra’s accompaniment, and the more I listen, the more I marvel at the beauty of the harmonies woven through the blend of various instruments. One day, amid the familiar sounds of strings and winds, an unfamiliar tone caught my ear—a low, resonant voice that seemed to support not only the instruments, but the choir’s singing as well. I focused on the source of this grounding sound and discovered it was the double bass. The largest of the orchestral string instruments, the double bass produces the lowest tones. Its voice lies deep beneath the surface, and its volume…

Jahng Min-gyeong from Seongnam, Korea

My Reward Is With Me

While tidying my room, I came across a bundle of old award certificates tucked away in a drawer. The paper had yellowed with time, but the memories they stirred were vivid and fresh. As an elementary school student, I eagerly signed up for every contest and competition, driven by a simple desire to make my parents proud and earn the applause of my friends. The hours of preparation and the nerves before each event were quickly forgotten the moment I heard a word of praise from Mom or Dad. Sitting with those mementos in hand, I couldn’t help but wonder: Do I still serve our Heavenly Father and Mother with the same pure-hearted enthusiasm I once had as a child?…

Kim Yu-bin from Goyang, Korea

Running With Purpose

While tidying up my desk, I came across an old study planner from my final year of high school. Inside, I found a verse that had helped me endure one of the most trying seasons of my life:
 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 1 Co 9:26 Back then, I would always end my day in prayer after evening self-study sessions at school. But as time went on, I began to worry: was I failing at both my studies and my life of faith? One evening, weighed down by discouragement, I opened my Bible, and this verse caught my eye. In that moment, I realized I had…

Lee Se-eun from Busan, Korea

The Order of the Forest

In a dense forest, if you look up, you might notice something remarkable: the tops of the trees seem to keep their distance, with their branches spaced apart as if intentionally avoiding contact. This phenomenon is known as crown shyness. The gaps between the branches are so precise and consistent that they appear too deliberate to be a mere accident, suggesting that there’s a purpose behind this natural design. So why does it happen? While the exact cause remains a mystery, several compelling theories have emerged. The most widely accepted explanation is that each tree is trying to maximize its exposure to sunlight. Overlapping branches reduce photosynthetic efficiency, so trees instinctively grow in a way that minimizes interference with their…

A Kingdom Built on a Father’s Love

It’s easy to call your daughter a “princess,” but actually making her a real one sounds like something out of a fairy tale. Yet, one father turned that dream into reality. This is the story of Jeremiah Heaton, who lives in Virginia, the United States. When his youngest daughter Emily said her dream was to become a princess, he didn’t just laugh it off. Instead, he began searching for a way to make her wish come true. To be a princess, she would need a kingdom, and for that, land. After much research online, he discovered an unclaimed area of land in Africa. It was a stretch of desert between Egypt and Sudan, a disputed border region where no country…

As the Lord Forgave You

Whenever conflict arose from a difference of opinion, I was quick to place the blame on the other person. It takes two hands to clap, after all. But beneath my inability to reach out first with an apology, there lay a quiet pride—the belief that I was right, and they were wrong. Then, a verse struck me with sudden force, piercing through my stubborn heart: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col 3:13–14 When I thought of how God had forgiven my sins, I was ashamed of…

Hong Hyeon-ji from Suwon, Korea