The Fruit of Love Rooted in Understanding

Before I got married, my mother-in-law learned that my family was Christian and firmly told me that attending church would not be allowed. My husband’s family had long followed their own established religion. At the time, I myself was beginning to feel uncertain about going to church, so I did not see it as a serious issue and simply said I understood. Years later, after starting my own family, I encountered the truth in the Church of God—and everything changed. Teachings I had never heard before, such as the Sabbath and God the Mother, were clearly supported by the Bible. I realized just how little I had truly known about God. If God truly exists, and if salvation comes from living according to His word, then I had no choice but to follow that path. From that day forward, I resolved to know God correctly and serve Him faithfully. That is how I became a member of the Church of God.

Although I had resolved to follow the truth, my mother-in-law’s earlier request still weighed heavily on my heart. Yet I could not deny such clear truth, so I pondered how best to maintain my faith moving forward. At the same time, I earnestly hoped that my husband would also receive God’s blessing and become my companion in faith. Since he never strongly opposed me whenever I mentioned going to church after our marriage—and because he was the person closest to me—I began praying for him every single day from that moment on.

Those prayers continued for twenty-three long years. Neither my husband’s family, steeped in deep Confucian traditions and long-held beliefs, nor my own family, unable to accept unfamiliar truths, was willing to listen to the gospel. I often felt sorrowful and weighed down. I desperately hoped that, at the very least, my husband would receive salvation with me. I shared church news whenever I could and invited him to Zion events, yet he never once came along. Living with my parents-in-law, I did my best as a daughter-in-law and contributed in every way I could to the household. Still, my husband did not seem to recognize my sincerity, and I could not help feeling hurt. My hope for his salvation and my disappointment always coexisted, like two sides of the same coin.

A few years ago, during the Day of Atonement prayer week, I was praying for my family as usual when I began to reflect deeply on myself. I had always claimed to pray for my husband, yet in reality, I had wanted him merely to understand me and follow my wishes without question. Even though I had received boundless love from our Heavenly Father and Mother in Zion, I had failed to practice that love properly at home, all the while expecting my husband to understand my heart. I felt a deep sense of regret. Though many years had passed, I realized I was still spiritually immature and felt truly sorry for troubling God with my shortcomings.

Around the time I resolved to let go of my hurt and focus on changing myself, something remarkable happened. My husband, who had never been willing to listen to the Bible, heard me practice sermon preaching during a video call with a Zion member and opened his heart, asking me to share it with him as well. For several days, he listened quietly but consistently. I sincerely expressed my hope that we could receive the promise of salvation together. My husband explained that he could not go immediately but would attend church the following week—and then he revealed a truth he had long kept to himself: He had wanted to live a life of faith alongside me for many years.

I came to realize that what I had mistaken for stubbornness was actually my husband’s strong sense of responsibility. Having attended a mission school in his youth, he quietly held a faith in God, even if he never showed it outwardly. He knew that our family would find harmony if we went to Zion together, but as the eldest son of the second generation, he carried many duties—managing family affairs, caring for his parents, and handling various responsibilities—so stepping forward had not been easy. He explained that he had been waiting for the right time to lay down these burdens, and that he had long intended to begin a life of faith himself.

Only then did I understand why, despite outwardly appearing resistant, he had been sending snacks for Zion events, inviting Zion members to our home for meals, and encouraging our eldest son, who dreamed of becoming a pastoral staff member. All that time, I had focused solely on my own disappointment, never pausing to consider his true intentions. I repented deeply, realizing how narrowly I had been viewing everything from my own perspective.

As promised, my husband set his heart in order and became a member of the heavenly family the following week. He prepared his Bible and New Song, determined to study earnestly despite knowing he still had much to learn—and he truly transformed. His quick temper, loud voice, and rough manner of speaking softened so much that even our relatives were astonished. After attending his first worship, I was awakened early the next morning by a sound in the living room—to my surprise, he was sitting there alone, reading the Bible. He was too shy to admit what he was doing, saying only that he could not sleep and wanted to read, but I was deeply moved by his quiet dedication. After reading the Truth Book, Visitors from the Angelic World, he shared how profoundly the teachings about the spiritual world had touched him, which amazed me.

Over the past year, my husband has steadily studied the Bible, kept the regulations, and strengthened his faith. These days, he says that the love of our Heavenly Father and Mother expressed in the lyrics of the New Songs often moves him to tears. At home, he practices truth presentation, and in Zion, he looks for ways to be blessed, such as helping with parking service. He also finds great joy in sharing the gospel with relatives, coworkers, and those around him. After watching a video showing members go abroad to help build overseas Zions, he even began to dream of joining such work himself one day.

Seeing my husband so joyful and fulfilled in the truth, I feel deep regret for not understanding his heart sooner. Looking back, I remember how, before he received baptism, he had asked questions about spiritual matters, and I had read a Truth Book to him. At the time, the conversation did not continue, so I had never realized how interested he truly was. I suspected he might have worries as the head of the family, yet I was too preoccupied with my own concerns to consider his feelings. Even when he shared his difficulties, I tended to offer solutions rather than provide comfort. Now, determined to correct my past mistakes, I make it a point to first empathize with him and continue our conversations from his perspective. As a result, both the atmosphere at home and our relationship have greatly improved.

I am grateful to Heavenly Father and Mother for granting the long-awaited blessing of a family rooted in faith and for filling our hearts with a deeper understanding and love for one another. I have come to realize that, to truly love a soul, it is not enough to express my own feelings—genuine love must be grounded in understanding and consideration for the other person. This principle extends far beyond the boundaries of family. I now reflect on whether there are souls around me whom I might have overlooked—those who are hurting or lonely. I will strive to reach out to them first, show sincere interest, and practice Mother’s love as Her child.