Joy at Home My Wife Has Brought Forth
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 13999 |
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September 10, 2007 |
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 ~Deacon Yeon-hwa Kim
(7-30 Parish; 1-3 Men's Mission)
I had grumbled at the Christian life of my wife who did not adjust herself to me...yet, after being led to Manmin following the two dreams I had and enduring a car accident, I've come to experience God's love. As I began serving in the Men's Mission and learned the true image of spouses serving each other, I was transformed by the Word and received joy at home and blessings at work.
After losing my mother to a car accident, I spent most of my childhood at my relatives on my mother's side, and for that reason I wanted to have a family filled with joy.
My wife Deaconess Hye-sook Kang, whom I had met in 1998 at the introduction of a friend, was a very amicable and composed person and did not complain of the tight budget with which we had to deal.
At the time, my wife and I were attending a nearby church but had not experienced God's grace. Starting one day, however, my wife's face began to overflow with joy and she seemed really busy. She had begun attending Manmin Joong-ang Church with our children.
I did not like her going to a different church because that meant we as a family would have less time to spend time with each other. Of course, my wife tried to make adjustments here and there for me but the source of the problem was the fact that I thought of my family as "something that I owned."
My wife remained stubborn about the church she wanted to attend. As for me, I kept going to the same church but eventually stopped going altogether.
She urged me on many occasions to come with the rest of the family to Manmin Joong-ang Church at which countless works of the manifestations of God's power were taking place through Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee, but I refused. As time passed, only disappointments, frustration, and grumbling at my wife built up in my heart.
Then early in 2005, I had a dream in which I saw brothers and sisters worshipping in a sanctuary at Manmin Joong-ang Church and in another dream, I saw Dr. Jaerock Lee preaching from the pulpit.
When I told my wife about the two dreams, she said, "Honey, I think God is calling you. Let's go to Manmin together."
On Easter Sunday in 2005, I went to Manmin Joong-ang Church for the first time. I had not come willingly but I did want to resolve the conflict I was having with my wife.
"Hello, Mr. Kim! I am your group leader."
As soon as I entered the church ground, an honorable and good-natured-looking Deacon Duk-jae Lee greeted me. He was better than me in everything and when I saw someone like that keeping himself busy with his Christian life, I figured there must be something to it.
My heart began to open up little by little and it was during that time when I experienced the marvelous love of God.
On May 5, 2005 [Editor's Note: "Children's Day" in Korea, a public holiday], my family had gone to visit my wife's parents and on the way back, we were caught in an accident at an intersection but every one in the two cars – ours and the other – was safe. God had protected us from a big accident. After experiencing God's love, I repented of my shortcomings and the accident served to be an opportunity by which I could grow my faith further. From that point on, I kept the Lord's Day holy and gave God whole tithes.
Activities in the Men's Mission became a source of energy in my faith and brought changes to my life. Each member in the Mission was filled with joy and happiness. Smiles never left their face and the way they spoke and served each other gave me comfort and touched my heart. When I saw them encouraging and looking after those who had been laid off or failed in their business, and suffering from diseases, I was so embarrassed at having been so selfish and concerned only about my family.
Furthermore, the beautiful sights of each member of the Men's Mission serving, respecting, and sharing loved with his spouse was something I had never seen anywhere else before. As my wife and I put God's commandments into practice one by one, we became one in mutual understanding, forgiveness, service, and love.
"This is it! True joy is here!"
I'd been so foolish to think of my wife and children as my possession and demand that they only serve me. When I reflected myself against the Word of Life, I could only imagine how difficult it must have been for my wife.
I am very fortunate to have a wife who kept praying for me in her love, and to have finally accomplished the kind of family I had always hoped to have.
In gratitude of God's grace, I began taking delight in sowing before Him in the ways of assisting the distribution of the Senior Pastor's translated works, the overseas crusades, and the purchase of computers for mission work. Then God blessed me more greatly than what I had sown.
While working at a firm that sold measuring instruments, I also had a side job of selling different car parts on the Internet but each time I sowed before God, orders just flooded in and the sales nearly doubled. On top of that, as God gave me new ideas for different items to sell and I was introduced to other highly profitable endeavors, He allowed and blessed me to open a new business that specializes in measuring instruments.
I give all thanks and glory to God and would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Senior Pastor for his messages of life that have helped me understand the true joy in life.
Dear my beloved,
I am so grateful that God has called me as His own but I am even more grateful to Him for allowing me to find you, share joy and sadness together, and create a family filled with joy together with our Yea-eun and Hyun-woo. When we were in the world, we had often hurt each other with words despite what we thought was "love." I'm so thankful that after having heard the messages of goodness, we now only think of ways to treat and serve the other better and strengthen each other. I'm so glad and grateful to have been transformed in the heart, to be able to always laugh, and for us to embrace each other despite our shortcomings.
I thank you for your patience – even when you did not believe – by which you made it possible for me to devote myself to God-given duties. I thank you even more today as you encourage me and care for me even more.
You have no idea how happy and proud I am to be able to attend services on Sundays, the Wednesday Evening Service, and the Friday All-night Service, and other meetings with you.
We can do anything and everything as Our Lord is with us on our way to heaven and interceding for our family. Let's keep this up, okay?
I love you. I love you very much.
Hye-sook
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