Faith & Life

Laughter Is Followed by Blessings!

Laughter is another name for communication. Communication is to exchange one’s mind and will; so there can’t be laughter between people who don’t share minds and will. Laughter lets people understand each other even if they don’t say what’s in their hearts. So we can say that laughter is the best way to communicate. If you smile before starting a conversation, the listeners must be ready to open their hearts already. The place where there should be more laughter than anywhere else is home, and the ones we should try to please more than anyone else is our family members. How can we find laughter anywhere else if we can’t find it at home? And how can we make someone else happy if we can’t make our own family…

Power Pose On!

Standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest lifted, and hands on your hips—this is the iconic Wonder Woman pose. Just looking at it, you can almost feel the confidence and strength it radiates. Brave people often show their boldness not just through words, but through the way they carry themselves. Interestingly, research shows that striking this kind of pose—known as a power pose—can actually boost your confidence and lift your mood. In other words, your body posture can shape your mindset! This month, try power posing together as a family. You’ll be surprised how a simple stance can brighten your spirit and bring cheerful confidence into your home. Before long, you’ll be a strong and shining “Wonder Family”! Tip…

Train Yourself to Be Godly

I was a quite aggressive man. I would be frustrated quickly if something didn’t go the way I had planned, or I would throw caution to the wind and go into everything if something was unsatisfactory. Many times, my aggressiveness embarrassed people around me. During school days, my Zion members went to a nearby mountain for an environmental cleanup. Garbage collection went on along with “Do Not Throw Garbage” campaign. As there were many of us, it drew people’s attention. But again, my personality was the problem. While we were continually carrying heavy sacks of cement to repair the hiking trails, my strength got overtaxed, and I got annoyed. Even with small pranks from the members of my peers, I…

Yu Wu-seung from Seoul, South Korea

Brother Whom I Sold because of My Sin

Reading a story about Jacob’s sons who sold their brother Joseph as a slave to the Midianites by their jealousy, I came to think of many things. More than anything, it is a pity that they committed sins because they did not understand the heart of their father. “Joseph is no more and Simon is no more and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” Ge 42:36 Jacob did not love only Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel. In the scene where he expressed the same grief of losing Joseph when Simon went to Egypt to look for food and was taken as captive, we can see the heart of Jacob who loved them equally. But…

Kim Min-ju from Cairns, Australia

Read When You Miss Me

Working on a school assignment, I learned about manuscripts. In the period of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, when printing techniques were not developed and books were in low quantity, it was common to transcribe books by hand. Such a handwritten document is called manuscript. Transcription was usually done by those who transcribed by profession, but parents or grandparents often transcribed books for children in the family. Many times, manuscripts were used as education materials as young children could copy letters and learn how to read while reading their parents handwritten stories and lessons contained in the book. Children who lived far after getting married could feel their parents whom they could not meet frequently through manuscripts. A typical example…

Lee Seon-mi from Seoul, South Korea

The Result of Giving Thanks

Nelson Mandela, the former President of the Rep. of South Africa, was kept in prison for a long time. He was in prison for 27 years from the age of 46 to 73 about a third of his life. On the day that Mandela was released, reporters were waiting for him in front of the prison. To their surprise, Mandela over 70 age was healthy and bright. One of the reports asked, “Usually, people lose their health though they spent only 5 years in prison, but how did you manage your health for 27 years in prison?” Mandela replied with a smile, “I enjoyed my time. When I was doing hard labor, I enjoyed my time at the thought that…

Contextual Listening

When conversing with others, we may wear each other out by insisting on our own opinions. In this situation, we may become frustrated with one another. Speaking is not the problem, but rather our inability to listen attentively. For effective communication, we need to listen well. Listening is giving ear to what a person is saying. There are various types of listening. The first type is Spousal Listening, which is the lowest level of listening. It is so named because this type of listening occurs between a husband and wife. Spouses do not pay attention while communicating with each other; simply saying, “Let’s talk about that later” or “Okay, sweetie, that’s enough for today.” The second type is Passive Listening.…

The Famous Gardener

A novice gardener once visited the home of a renowned gardener and was awestruck by the beauty before him. The trees, flowers, and fresh green lawn blended perfectly with the house, creating a scene of harmony and grace. Eager to learn, the novice asked several questions. “To become a good gardener, I’d like to know a few things. From which regions did you bring these trees and flowers? What materials did you use for the fence? And surely, maintaining such perfection must be costly—how much does it take to keep this place so beautiful?” The gardener listened kindly and then replied, “I don’t think I have any special answer to give you. All I do is focus on how to…

The Cat That Repaid Grace

It happened fifteen years ago. At our detached house, we often had many unexpected “guests” throughout the year. In spring came butterflies, earwigs, and millipedes; in summer, crickets, cicadas, and spiders. But the biggest trouble was mice. One day, my mom and I went around spraying insecticide and setting poison from the rooftop to the bathroom and storage room to get rid of the mice and bugs. Suddenly, we heard a faint “meow” from somewhere. Since we did not have a cat, I did not think much of it at first. But the crying continued through the night, growing louder and more desperate. In the middle of the night, my mom woke up to the sound and quickly ran outside.…

Eun-jin Choi from Tokyo, Japan

The Secret of Blessing

I was curious about why a certain member seemed to receive so many spiritual blessings, so I began to observe her closely. Before long, I discovered the answer. Her greatest gift was gratitude. Whenever she found even the smallest reason to give thanks, she did so abundantly. She never forgot the things she was thankful for but kept them in her heart, reflecting on them again and again. It seemed that the true secret to blessing lay in living like a true child of God—never taking the sacrifices of Heavenly Father and Mother for granted, but being thankful at every moment. Then I looked back on myself. When I first received the truth, I was grateful for everything. But somewhere…

Choi Yoonhee from Daegu, Korea

How Could You Endure It?

When I was little, the four of us sisters shared a small room. As soon as we lay down to sleep, we could hear our mother groaning softly in the next bed. “Oh . . . oh . . .” My sister, who was two years older than me, and I worried that she might be seriously ill. “Tomorrow morning when we wake up, you have to ask Mom where it hurts, okay?” “Okay.” But by the time we woke up, Mother had already gone out to the fields. In the end, we never asked—and as time passed, we simply forgot. Not long ago, I visited my parents’ home. That night, I once again heard my mother groaning in bed.…

Kim Sun-sook from Chungju, Korea

Fruit

During the reign of King Yeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty, Jeong Ho, who had once served as Chief State Councilor, retired from government service and devoted himself to tending an orchard in his hometown. One day, Yi Hyeong-jwa, the Chief Royal Secretary, came to visit and saw Jeong Ho grafting branches onto a pear tree. “Sir,” he said, “aren’t you already in your eighties? If you are still grafting trees, when do you expect to enjoy the fruit?” Jeong Ho gave no reply. Years later, when Yi Hyeong-jwa became the Governor of Chungju, he visited Jeong Ho again. This time, Jeong Ho served him a perfectly ripe pear. “It’s so sweet and delicious! Where did you get such a pear?”…

Spiritual Buoyancy

On earth, the blue whale is known as the largest animal, with adults weighing over 100 tonnes. In the Southern Hemisphere, some even reach 180 tonnes—an astonishing size. Yet even such an enormous creature does not sink but swims freely in the ocean. The secret lies in buoyancy. Buoyancy is the upward force exerted by a liquid or gas that allows an object to float. Without it, not only whales but no marine creature, person, or ship could remain afloat upon the water. In the same way, a soul once drowning in the sea of sin can rise toward heaven because spiritual buoyancy began to work through God’s sacrifice. I give sincere thanks for that boundless grace.

Park Eun-seo from Daegu, Korea

My Mom

In my mom’s mind, there is room for nothing but thoughts of her children. Under the scorching sun, she pulls weeds while checking again and again whether the sesame seeds have ripened. She carefully threshes each one and sends them by courier, parcel by parcel, to her children living far away. Even after giving us everything she has, whenever she calls, she only asks how we are doing and if we need anything. In conversations entirely centered on me, I barely manage to ask how she is doing—but her answer is always the same. “I’m fine. As long as you live well, that’s enough.” I found it difficult to raise even two children, but my mom raised three. When my…

Park Hye-young from Gimhae, Korea

If We Remain in God Until the End

When I was in middle school, I was a troublemaker who never listened. I did whatever I wanted, always full of complaints, frowning, and rebelling. I did not practice God’s teachings—such as speaking with grace, greeting warmly, or showing consideration for others. In high school, I tried to pull myself together and change, but it was not easy. Serving my brothers and sisters and praying for others, as I had learned in Zion, felt beyond my ability. Even so, I never missed the student group gatherings. Whether it rained or I was out with friends, I always made sure to attend. Before long, I became a young adult and wanted to take part in many gospel activities such as IWBA…

Song Hae-in from Incheon, Korea

If You Cannot Win Against the Weeds

Two farmers who had moved from the city to the countryside began farming for the first time. In spring, as they planted rice seedlings, they made a friendly bet to see who would reap the greater harvest in the fall. By summer, the rice in both paddies had grown lush and green. But soon, weeds began to sprout between the rice plants—so many that it seemed there were more weeds than rice. “No matter how much I pull them out, they keep growing back. How long do I have to keep doing this?” Grumbling, one farmer finally gave up weeding altogether. The other farmer, however, continued to pull weeds whenever he could—not trying to clear them all at once, but…

Preparing in Advance When There Is Leisure

A wild boar was diligently sharpening its long tusks beside an elm tree. A passing fox saw this and asked, “Boar, there are no hunters around, and no danger in sight. Why are you needlessly sharpening your tusks?” The boar smiled and replied, “When danger suddenly strikes, there will be no time to sharpen them. I prepare in advance so that I can use them when the moment comes.”

A Mother’s Hands

I once watched a social experiment video. Participants were shown photos of someone’s palms and asked what kind of work the person might do. Their answers were: “hands with many wrinkles that work with soil,” “someone who does hard labor,” “hands that have endured much hardship.” A moment later, the owners of those hands appeared. They were the participants’ own mothers, wives, sisters, or daughters. Stunned, they stood speechless for a while. Soon, tears welled up, and some even kissed the hands before them. Seeing the stories engraved in those hands—hands that had sacrificed for family and silently endured a lifetime of hardship—brought a lump to my throat. I, too, quietly held my mother’s hand. Married when she was still…

Gu Yeonhee from Suncheon, Korea

Mother’s Laundry

After leaving home to live in a dormitory for my studies, I go home once a week to deliver worn clothes for laundry. I stay for only a few hours to idle and to eat, leaving extra work to my mom. And then, I return to the dormitory. My home became more like the dormitory and my dormitory has become home to me. One day I came to stay home for a longer time. In the mean time, I decided to do good deeds at home. While unpacking my bags, I folded my laundry and stacked them one by one. Seeing the laundry piled up, I thought, ‘How did Mom wash all my clothes every week, along with all the…

Mary Rose Tandugon Tandoy from Quezon City, Philippines

The Thief Who Stole from Himself

There was an infamous thief who was skilled at stealing expensive jewels. He was clever enough to evade the police for a long time. One day, he was finally arrested while robbing a house, and spent twenty years in prison. When he was released from prison, he was sixty years old—the twilight of his life. He deeply regretted his past and began to live a decent life. One day, a reporter interviewed him and asked, “From whom did you steal the most?” With tears he replied, “The one from whom I stole the most . . . was myself. I was good with my hands, handling machines and playing the piano. I was an eloquent speaker, and I was in…