Faith & Life

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

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…

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

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