By Angela Ryo

As I thought about the word “gentleness,” there was someone who came to my mind. This person truly saw me for who I was. I believe that was because of his gentleness. When was the last time you felt truly seen by others? When was the last time you truly saw others for who they are and let them know it?

I remember my youth group days when I was just a shy, invisible 9^th grader. A new youth pastor came to our church, and I had very little hope for him. He was a middle-aged Korean man who spoke in broken English. Daniel Kim was his name. Pastor Daniel was the very definition of NOT COOL. But he saw me. He, along with his wonderful wife, asked me questions, fed me, and taught me how to pray and read the Bible. They brought out the gifts I never knew I had. Now, I say, “me” and not “us” because I thought I was the only one he and his wife saw! But that wasn’t true. Pastor Daniel had an uncanny gift of making anyone he encountered truly seen.

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By Julia Qiuye Zhao

When I was fourteen, a relative gave me a copy of Mabel Hale’s Beautiful Girlhood. First published in 1922, this book combines timeless lessons about honesty, responsibility, self-care and friendship with admonitions about modesty and simplicity in dress, homemaking and obedience to parents and God. Through it all, gentleness, in speech, manner or disposition is seen as the crowning jewel of the “rose” of Christian womanhood. 

An intensely pious teenager, I was captivated. This book was going to be my life guide. I was going to shape my speech, my thoughts, my behavior such that my life reflected the beauty of the “half opened” rose to which the author compared feminine Christian adolescence. Part of that was my desire to resemble the girls on the covers of this and other “classic” books for girls, like Little Women, with blond ringlets, blue eyes and long, flowing dresses. My own dark-haired, dark-eyed Asian self did not quite fit this image of godly “girlhood”, but I could at least speak and act like them.

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By Eunhyey Lok

This past July, my family and I drove from California to Minnesota. In the months leading up to this drive, I actively sought signs and reminders of God’s faithfulness. The drive marked our transition from our life in Los Angeles to a new way of living in my childhood home. 

The months preceding were a blur, packed with selling off pieces of our life on Facebook Marketplace and Offer Up; meeting one “last” time with friends, family and neighbors (and then meeting them again for the “real” last time); and squeezing in last dental, medical and hair/nail appointments before having to find a whole new slew of providers. In the midst of saying goodbye to the familiar, I experienced a richness and vibrance in my life I had not tasted in years. Although the sense that moving was still the right next step, it was bittersweet to leave behind what felt like such a precious season in my life. Why, when opportunities for which I’d waited over 15 years were blooming left and right, was I being pulled away to the unknown? Re-reading my journal entries from my last couple weeks in California, I saw the signs I needed of God’s faithfulness.

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By Yuri Yamamoto

I am from Japan. Until I was fifty, I was running away from myself, my worst enemy. I didn’t know why but distinctly remember hating myself as a young child. I felt dirty, ugly, angry, and helpless. I did well in school and even had some friends. Still, deep inside, I knew my wretchedness and loneliness. It often exploded as anger against my mother.

I didn’t know of any divinities. My parents were anti-religious and rejected organized religions as the tool of oppressors, i.e., the opium of the masses. I heard and read about Shinto and Buddhist gods and deities but had no personal relationship with them. As a teenager, I began searching for gods in places where ancient people encountered them: temples and shrines, the woods, the ocean, the graveyards, and in fleeting relationships with strangers. I also sought refuge in European traditional sacred music and American pop music without understanding the language. 

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By Sarah D. Park

I find myself in a unique in-between space these days. I’ve reached round 3 out of 4 rounds for a job position that I both need and desire. And as I wait for my final interview date, I’m feeling the half-security of potentially having a job and the half-insecurity of potentially having nothing. My mind is constantly straying between researching which expensive restaurant I’ll finally get to try or steeling itself for jumping back into the chilly waters that is the job hunt.

It’s been one and a half years of unemployment. It hasn’t been just that – I had a baby boy, moved across the country, and our New York apartment has been a revolving door for a bevy of friends. But right now, when I’m this close to finally getting a job, I wonder about God’s faithfulness.

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By Diana Kim

You make me feel safe.
I make you feel seen.
You comfort me when I am down and feel hopeless.
I am your biggest cheerleader.

Your embrace melts all my stress away.
I speak as the voice of reason in your life.
You know when I want ice cream or oreo cookies.
I cut you fruit even when you don’t ask.
You offer your hand to stabilize me.
I cling to your arm as my safety.

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By Wendy Choy-Chan

I was strolling the grounds of the Jesuit Center during a three-day conference, being able to squeeze in some time between breakfast and a fully packed schedule on the second day. The LORD is good. 

I took a peak into the chapel. Upon entering, a metal plague on the back wall indicated “IV.” Ah! An indoor stations of the cross, sheltered from the hot sun outside. The LORD is good. 

When I came to station II, I stopped at my track, my heart pounded, and tears flooded my eyes. Not the usual station II of Jesus bearing the cross, but just the word “Acceptance.” The LORD is good. 

Just earlier, I was sharing with a sister whom I did not expect to see at the conference. We have only met a few times in the past, but every time we met we had very deep sharing. The LORD is good. 

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By Tina Teng-Henson

I believe that I shall look upon 
the goodness of the LORD 
in the land of the living! 
–Psalm 27:13 (ESV)

About 6 months ago, I stopped working at the large denominational church that had spent 2 years recruiting me. Despite all the time we’d spent discerning fit, my time there was just 5 months.  

Without knowing it, I entered a season of ministry sabbatical. My first since 2017, just about 7 years ago. 

Many mornings I woke up wondering about purpose. What would I do and who would I be, if I was no longer pastoring? I sincerely questioned whether I would ever return to accept a call.

Several days I napped repeatedly. Could I still be tired, soul-weary, from all those years of pushing myself? During the Orchard years, I would wake up so early to get quality solitude with the Lord, because the kids were so young and so noisy during the daytime. 

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By Emi Iwanaga

“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, 
he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 
A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 
As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, 
she began to wet his feet with her tears. 
Then she wiped them with her hair, 
kissed them and poured perfume on them.”
Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭36‬-‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

IN HIS PRESENCE
Goodness

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By Jerrica K Ching

What does it mean to be good? For youth, it is a statement we often hear from others based on their observations about our skill level. I’m sure at some point in our lives we’ve heard, “You’re so good at ____” whether it was from a parent, friend, or peer. Although these words of praise give us a sense of pride and dopamine, what does it mean to truly embody goodness?

Galatians 6:9 states, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” As I reflect upon this verse, I think of what it means to do good work in servitude of God. Those of us who serve our communities – whether it is through medicine, ministry, or mental health – know that there will be days when we are incredibly worn down and weary with doing good.

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