My brother-in-law, who lives overseas, recently visited Korea. After a meal at home, we all gathered to watch a women’s volleyball match. The players kept the scores neck and neck, exchanging sets back and forth until they reached the fifth set. Though drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, they gave their all under the coach’s guidance, spurred on by the crowd’s enthusiastic cheers. Regardless of the final outcome, the focus and dedication of both teams were truly admirable.
After the match, my brother-in-law shared a story that had touched him beyond the game itself. Each team had a foreign player, and he had been particularly attentive to one of them. This foreign attacker had spiked the ball countless times into the opponent’s court, but her success rate was not very high. At one point, the camera zoomed in on a woman in the audience, hands clasped in prayer, earnestly pleading. It was the struggling player’s mother. Though the player likely couldn’t see her praying mother from the court, my brother-in-law found the sight deeply moving. He said that living abroad himself, he often faced hardships as a foreigner, but what always gave him strength to keep going was the knowledge that Heavenly Mother was praying for him.
Looking back, I realize that I too am living peaceful days thanks to the unseen prayers of Heavenly Mother. Since there is no place in this world untouched by God’s grace, how could I do anything but give thanks in all circumstances?