Learning to Be Weak

August 20, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

I have been learning the same lesson over and over the past several months, actually more like the past two years. The lesson is this: I am weak. At times I’ve felt intensely frustrated, stuck, even hopeless, wondering if this season will ever end. But what can I say? God is a thorough teacher. Not Okay […]

Yet, Still: The Way God’s Love Changes Everything

May 30, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

There are certain basic truths I always come back to. These truths form the foundation of my life, the rock on which I stand and the rock to which I cling. One of those truths is this: God loves me It’s one of the the Sunday school truths that soon grows stale and cliche if […]

Remembering the Dark Times

April 26, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

Trying to Move On I used to see the dark times as something to forget. I wanted to pretend they had never happened. My struggles and failures, the moments of intense loneliness, fear, and confusion––I just wanted to put all that behind me. The point was to overcome. The point was to move forward. But in […]

Teacher Life: Conflict Between Close Friends

March 29, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

Yesterday between classes, I looked up from my Kindle to see one of my students repeatedly hitting another boy on the back of the head. He was clearly angry and exclaiming something in Korean I couldn’t understand. I immediately sat up and started yelling. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” The hitting stopped. “BOTH OF YOU OUTSIDE […]

Handling Conflict: Some Tips for the Conflict-Averse

February 14, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

I am naturally conflict-averse. I always have been, and I still am. But over the years I’ve learned how to better manage my sensitivity to tension, how to better communicate with those I disagree with, and how to stay true to myself while still being considerate of others. I’m still a work in progress, but […]

Putting Things In Order

January 25, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

During a recent trip home, I rediscovered my love for organizing things. Strange what can make a person feel alive. My mom was moving houses, so I had to go through all my old stuff, organize the keepers and trash the rest…

The Fear of Failure

December 8, 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

Recently, I told God that I was scared to be elevated to a higher position of influence. I might fall into pride or lose the intimacy I have with Him. I might forget that I needed Him and become the kind of person who shouldn’t be looked up to. Going higher can do that to people––I’ve seen it even in myself.

The Difficulty of Loving (and facing my desire for affection)

November 24, 2017.Reading time 9 minutes.

I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately. Not romance, but the kind of love we are all supposed to have for one another. Sacrificial love. Neighborly love. Compassionate love. Strangely, at the very same time I’ve been pondering the importance of love, I have simultaneously been dismissing my own need for it. What I […]