Title: The Power to Rise Again
Wang Rong, the main character of 'Earth', is a man with the tenacity and patience to stand up in the midst of floods or disasters of locusts, even in the face of demons sweeping across the entire land. Also, in 'Living Reed', the heroine who stands up again even if he falls and falls and gets hurt again is heart-warming. Even in the last drought, we were able to read with our hearts the power of Koreans while watching the persistence of the farmers. It is a difficult time, but there is hope as all the farmers are showing their diligence. It's coming to life.
In the past few days, I have been to Gangwon-do and Yeosu, Jeollanam-do for training sessions. Seeing the green field, hope surged. I believe that trials and crises can be overcome if we work together by loving each other.
“Two are better than one, for they have a good reward for their hard work. If they fall, one will catch his companion and raise him up; but woe to him who is alone and falls and there is no one to lift him up. When two lie down together, It is warm, but how can it be warm with one person? One person will be defeated, but two people can withstand it. A threefold cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
I often give this doll as a gift to married couples. A couple who received the gift asked. “Why are you giving the toy as a gift?” I answered this. “This is not a toy. In the future, if you two want to live as a couple, there may be times when you unexpectedly fail. In that case, we are giving the Ottuji as a gift in the sense that we should have the spirit to stand up again like Ottugi.” Sano can sometimes fall. In such a case, we give five twigs as a gift to have the courage and wisdom to stand up again in the spirit of the seven poles. And write the words on the back of the puppet. “The righteous man may fall seven times, but he will rise again.”
There are times when I meet people who say nonsense among Christians. These are people who say that they have not stumbled because they have always been filled with joy and grace since they believed in Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit. When I meet such a person, I tell them like a timid person. “If you truly say that, then it is one of two cases. The first is when the brother is very low-intelligence to the point of being mentally retarded, or the second is when he deceives and lies.
A person's life is not always smooth. Life is like jumping over obstacles, and sometimes we encounter unexpected obstacles and fall. At such times, believers can stand up again with the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why, even if the righteous person falls down seven times, through faith that rises up again, we testify with our lives that God lives.
“He stumbles, but not at all, because the Lord holds him up” (Psalm 37:24).
Thomas Edison, the inventor, was born into a very poor family. When he was in elementary school, his homeroom teacher told him to teach at home because his brain was so bad that he couldn't teach. However, his mother earnestly prayed to God for strength so as not to become discouraged, to teach diligently, and not to become weak. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Edison was doing an experiment while selling a newspaper in a corner of the train. He set fire to the train, was slapped by the conductor, and lost hearing in one ear. Even in such a difficult situation, he worked tirelessly and became the inventor of more than 2,000 inventions. He was a man of faith who always prayed and gave thanks, and it is said that he prayed 120,000 times and experimented 10,000 times until he invented the light bulb and completed it. He tried once and if he failed, he prayed for three hours.
“But those who wait for the Lord will find new strength, and they will soar up like eagles with wings; they will run and not get weary, they will walk and not get weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)
* Prayer: Lord, who quietly comes and comforts me when I am discouraged in pain, allow me to persevere in the task entrusted to me, no matter how difficult or unpleasant it may be, do my best until it is completed or perfected. No matter how much I fall, let me recover like an otter who gets up again. Don't try to solve it with my own strength and methods, but leave it to the Lord. Help me to overcome the temptations of the world without becoming discouraged by looking at the promises of the path of the righteous. May our homes and churches become a ground of love, a ground of comfort, a ground of encouragement, and a ground of blessing. Give me the courage to live honestly even if it is difficult right now. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.