Filial Piety--The Grand Truth of the Universe
Filial piety is the basis, the foundation, of the truth of the universe.
As long as the universe exists, filial piety will be the only eternal truth.
All living things in the universe--people, animals, insects, and even grass,
flowers, and trees--are brought forth from the body of their parents and live
happily as they bloom, dance and sing, branch out, bear fruits and spread their
roots, and breed and raise their offspring.
It is the duty of all creatures, as children and as long as they live,
to offer eternal gratitude and praise to their parents and to repay them for
their infinite love and sacrifice for giving birth to them and sacrificing
themselves entirely. That is how they walk the path of the truth.
Confucius said, "Filial piety is the foundation of all
actions." Not only is filial piety a fundamental way of the universe, but
in essence, the sole, grand truth of the universe. Because God is the
"Mother" of all things in the universe, filial piety is the only
grand, universal way of fearing and serving Him. Therefore, let me start this
book with filial piety, the fundamental, grand way of the universe.
The First Commandment among the Conditions to Inherit the New World
[Honor your father and your mother, that your
days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.] (Exo. 20:12)
The "land which ... your God is giving you...." is the heaven
Christians in the world today talk about. However, that "land" is not
a heaven in the sky, but this earth we are presently living on. It is this very
earth, which has become too cursed, polluted, and defiled to be inhabited by
people, that will be renewed into a new land, a new world, as it was in the
beginning when God first created it. It will be a land of immortality, an
eternally happy new world where His children who have become saints will live.
Among the Ten Commandments God personally inscribed on stone tablets for
His mortal children, the first four commandments concerned Him: commands to
love God and thus, not die, but live eternally. The fifth to tenth commandments
concerned His mortal children: commands to love one another and live happily
together. However, the first commandment among the last six given for us tells
us to be filial to our parents by honoring them.
The command to "honor your father and your mother" means more
than just to love them. To "honor" them means to serve them as you
would serve God. Honoring your father and your mother, filial piety, is the
commandment God gave to His earthly children as a condition to be rewarded with
the new world of immortality. In other words, those who serve and honor their
parents will be received into the new world, while those who treat their
parents coldly and dishonor them will not even be able to see the new world. He
said, "Honor your father and your mother that your life may be long
(eternal) in the land (new world) that Jehovah your God is giving you. However,
if you do not honor your father and mother, I will not give you the land of
immortality, the new world." The great commandment to honor our parents is
the very first commandment among the ones given to us. Therefore, it is written
in the Holy Bible, [If any has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety
at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.] (1 Tim. 5:4) Why did God say He would take
filial children who repay their parents' grace to the new world?
Parents are Visible Gods
"Parents are entitled to a degree of love and respect which is due
to no other person. God Himself, who has placed upon them (parents) a
responsibility for the souls (children) committed to their (parents') charge,
has ordained that during the earlier years of life, parents shall stand in the
place of God to their children. And he (a child) who rejects the rightful
authority of his parents is rejecting the authority of God."
God gave all the children in the world parents--visible Gods who
"stand in the place of God" with "the authority of God."
There are different kinds of love in this world. However, the love parents have
for their children is a love not of this world, but a love which only God
possesses--a love that gives all and sacrifices all without receiving anything
in return. The heavenly Father gave the parents on this earth His love,
entrusted His children to them, and requested that they raise them in His
stead. Therefore, parents are emissaries sent by the heavenly Father, His
ambassadors, and visible Gods. If parents did not possess His love, how would
they be able to love their children so dotingly when they cry, urinate, and
defecate day and night, and not hate or dislike them in the least? How would
they be able to sacrifice themselves to the end for such children? If it were a
cheap, human love, parents would forsake their children after taking care of
them for just a few days.
Because parents are God's ambassadors, visible Gods who possess His
love, they give themselves up entirely for their children, sacrificing their
bodies, minds, possessions, and even their souls. Therefore, honoring and
serving the visible Gods well is the same as honoring and serving the invisible
God who sent them. Treating them coldly and with contempt is treating the
invisible God who sent them coldly and with contempt.
In history, we can find many events in the past that tell us of how God
truly loved, walked with, and abundantly blessed the families of people who did
not even know Him or Jesus--filial children who were dutiful and obedient to
the parents sent by God as His ambassadors, their visible Gods. On the other
hand, even if a son is devout and carries around the Bible, if he disobeys and
coldly treats his parents, his visible Gods, it is written that he will not be
taken to heaven, but abandon them on this earth to become prey for beasts. [The eye that mocks at his father, and scorns
obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the
young eagles will eat it.] (Prov. 30:17) Therefore, rather than boasting of how well we keep our
faith, we should become filial children who honor and serve our parents, our
visible Gods.
Filial Sons of China
Yo and Soon, Filial Sons of China
Long ago in China,
two young men, Yo and Soon, were reputed to be the most filial sons in the
land. Just as God established the filial Moses as the leader (king) of Israel,
the filial David as the king of Israel, and filial Joseph as the Prime Minister
who had power over the gentile nation of Egypt, He again appointed two filial
sons--Yo and Soon--as kings to rule over the great continent of China and its
people. King Yo lost of his mother at an early age and grew up under his father
and a stepmother; the abuse and persecution he received from them was
indescribable. Some stepmothers are kind-hearted and love their stepchildren
more than their own. However, most stepmothers have no love for their
stepchildren and, instead, abuse them because they did not actually give birth
to them. There is a saying that when a father remarries, he becomes a
stepfather. Though the father of that filial son was very loving when his wife
was alive, he turned into a dreadful father who tried to kill his son at any
opportunity after remarrying.
One day his father commanded, "Put a new layer of straw on the
thatched roof of the barn." Though the roof of the barn was still in fair
condition, his father was ordering him to cover it with a new layer. This
filial son already knew: "Father plans on burning me to death today."
However, this filial son, who never disobeyed his parents, knowingly took the
straw and climbed up to the roof. "I only have a chance if heaven saves
me," he thought as he climbed up the barn wearing a bamboo hat. As he was
busily covering the roof, just as he expected, his father set fire to one end
of the roof while his stepmother set fire to the other end. Within moments, the
fire spread in all directions. The filial son jumped off the roof using his
bamboo hat as a parachute and barely escaped death.
Failing to burn his son to death that day, his father commanded a few
days later, "Dig a well in the field out in front." Though a well
already existed beside the house, he was ordering him to dig another one. The
filial son thought, "This time, father plans on burying me alive. Though I
was able to jump off the roof last time, how will I be able to dig myself out
of the ground? I am dead." However, he began to dig in obedience to his
father, knowing that he could die. With his father looking on, he dug deeper
and deeper into the ground. After reaching a certain depth, he began to dig a
hole off to the side when his father was not watching. He was busy digging
when, as expected, dirt and stones suddenly started falling on top of him. He
was able to crawl out through the hole he made off to the side and barely
escaped death. After quietly returning to his room at the rear of the house, he
picked up the bamboo flute he always enjoyed playing and played it in tears,
thinking about his deceased mother. When his father heard him playing from the
living room, he became enraged and exclaimed, "Ugh, he is still
alive!"
Why would heaven not protect such a precious, inimitably filial son and
just leave him to die? God especially loved that filial son, protected him so
that his physical father could not kill him, and later raised him up as a king
of that vast land
of China. Heaven blessed
the people of China
who received such a benevolent king with peace. No other period in Chinese
history has seen more prosperity or peace than during the reign of Kings Yo and
Soon. This is because God blessed the nation of these filial sons.
Filial Sons of Korea
Sohn-Soon, a Filial Son of the Shilla Dynasty
Like China,
there were many lovely filial sons and daughters in Korea, the land of the rising
sun--also known as Chosun, the eastern country of courteous people. During the
Shilla dynasty, there was a man named Sohn-Soon. His family was so impoverished
that he had to work as a servant in order to support his mother.
Even amid such destitution, he was an extremely devoted son. After
working all year long at someone else's home, he would buy his mother food,
clothing, and shoes by bartering the bushels of rice he received as wages. He
had a young son who always sat by his grandmother and ate the delicious food
earnestly prepared for her when she offered it to him. Displeased, Sohn-Soon
would say, "Mother, please do not give him any more food. It is just for
you to eat." She would reply, "No, it pleases me more to give it to
him than to eat it all by myself," and continued feeding her grandson.
This filial son did not know what to do and quietly called his wife to the rear
of the house to discuss the matter.
"Dear, we can always have another child. Once mother passes away,
she will be no more. Our son is taking away all her delicious food, leaving her
nothing to eat. Let's go bury him in the mountains, and then come back and take
care of mother," he said. His wife who was also an extremely filial
daughter-in-law agreed. "You are right, dear," she said. Therefore,
the couple decided to bury their child in the mountains. How beautiful this
filial son and daughter-in-law were! What woman would agree to kill her own son
in order to serve someone else's mother? With her son on her back and the
filial son carrying some tools on his A-frame carrier*, the couple climbed up
the mountain. How beautiful and commendable they must have been in the eyes of
God! That scene may have been more beautiful than when Abraham climbed up Mount Moriah
in order to dedicate his son Isaac to God. Abraham was slow to respond when God
asked him to offer up Isaac, and his wife did not even dare accompany him.
However, that filial couple who did not even know God was willing to sacrifice
their son in order to honor their human mother. Why would that couple that did
not know Christ not be praised for being more beautiful than Abraham and his
wife who knew God? (*The A-frame carrier is a back rack with a frame that looks
like the letter A, usually made of wood, and widely used to carry heavy or
large items.)
This couple went deep into the mountains. When they reached a suitable
area, they placed their child and the A-frame carrier on the ground. The father
drove the pickaxe down strongly into the ground. "Ding!" To his
surprise, the earth reverberated with the clear sound of a bell ringing.
Bewildered, he dug into the ground a second time, and a third time. The more he
dug into the ground, the lovelier and fuller the resonance would be. After
digging some more, he discovered a magnificent bell. God had prepared it as a
gift for that filial couple so that they would not kill their son. God who had
prepared a ram for Abraham so that he would not kill his son likewise prepared
a gift for that precious filial son of Chosun.
Deeply moved, this filial son said to his wife, "Dear, it seems
like heaven is telling us not to kill our son by giving us this precious bell
as a gift. Let's just take our child and this bell back home." Because she
was a good wife who never objected to his words, they both returned home and
later hung the bell at the end of a rafter of their hut. The bell rang so
clearly and beautifully and echoed throughout the country that even the king
heard the ringing as he was sitting on his throne in the palace.
"What is that beautiful sound?" the king asked his ministers.
When the king heard their report, he was deeply impressed. Praising the filial
couple, he said, "Long ago, there lived a man named Kwak-koh who tried to
bury his child in order to support his parents. Heaven gave him a golden wok.
Now in my days, heaven has given that inimitably filial son a rare, precious
bell." The king then issued a royal mandate, saying, "Build a nice,
large house for that inimitably filial son. In addition, provide him with fifty
sacks of rice a year from the national treasury for the rest of his life so
that he may live happily with his mother and son."
It was God, not the king, who provided that filial son with rice and a
house; He personally rewarded him through the king. This is a true story. The
filial son no longer worked as a servant in someone else's house and lived
happily with his mother, wife, and son.
Sang-duk, a Filial Son of the Shilla Dynasty
There once lived a man named Sang-duk during the Shilla Dynasty. In
order to support his parents during a famine, he fed his parents a piece of his
thigh he had secretly cut off. In addition, when his parents suffered from a
malignant tumor, this filial son sucked out all the poison to cure it. For this
filial son, God moved the heart of the king who ordered a red gate built at
that filial son's house to officially commend him, making him an example for
all the children on this earth, and to provide him with an ample amount of
money and rice annually so that he and his family could live happily.
All these stories are not mere fabricated tales of the past, but true
stories of filial sons from a previous era who also lived on this earth.
Mr. Doh, a Filial Son of the Yi Dynasty
During the time of King Chul-Jong of the Yi Dynasty, there lived a man
who was only known by his family name, Doh. Even though his family was poor, he
was a very devoted son. Because he did not have enough money to support his
mother, he would go into the mountains every day to chop wood, burn it into
charcoal, and then sell it once a week at the market. With that money, this
filial son would buy rice and fish for his mother. One day, after selling
charcoal at the market, he bought a fish for his mother and tied it to his
A-frame carrier. As he was crossing over a heavily wooded ridge, he heard a
sound from behind. "Swoosh!" In the blink of an eye, a large hawk
snatched the fish off the A-frame carrier and flew away. Startled, he yelled.
It was too late. The hawk had snatched the fish and disappeared in a flash.
That fish was to be a side dish for his mother to eat until the next
market day* came. If he only had money in his pocket, he would have gone back
immediately and bought another fish, alas he had no more money. At a loss for
words, he burst into tears at the thought of having to return to his mother
empty-handed and serve her just rice. "You coldhearted hawk! Why did you
have to steal the fish of this poor man who wanted to serve it to his elderly
mother?" he exclaimed, weeping as he plodded the rest of the way back
home. (*Market days only took place on certain days of the month and varied
with the region.)
However, God watched the entire scene from the beginning. He who had
commanded a raven to prepare a meal for Elijah now told the hawk that had
snatched this filial son's fish, "Little hawk, do you know whose fish you
took? That fish belongs to an inimitably filial son. Do not eat even a single
piece of it. Instead, take it to the front yard of that filial son's
house." The hawk then realized whose fish it had taken and did as God had
commanded. The filial son walked many kilometers in tears without knowing what
had happened. When he arrived at home, he was startled. Though he imagined that
the hawk had already eaten the fish since it had been lost back at the ridge,
there it was, in the front yard, untouched. "Undoubtedly, heaven helped
me," the filial son thought, and repeatedly expressed his deep gratitude
to heaven.
Several years passed, and the mother whom he honored so dearly and
attended to was lying sick, on the verge of death. Inexpressible grief filled
this filial son. One day, his mother, lying sick in bed, said, "Son, I
would like to eat some soft persimmons." Although he searched throughout
the house and even the entire neighborhood, he could not find any persimmons
since it was already winter. Today, there are modern methods of storage.
However, there was no way to store them back then, so it was almost impossible
for there to be any persimmons. Yet, he was determined to somehow find some
because it was his mother's final wish. Carrying a mesh bag, he searched under
every persimmon tree and rummaged through all the leaves with a stick hoping to
find perhaps a dry persimmon that had fallen to the ground. Though he went from
neighborhood to neighborhood searching the persimmon orchards, he could not
find a single persimmon. The sun was setting, and it was beginning to get dark.
The filial son was lamenting when a tiger came crawling down from the
mountain. He would have normally been scared to death and run away. For some
reason, he felt calm even at the appearance of the tiger. He was not afraid; it
was as if a dog or a horse was approaching him. God had been touched, and He
had sent the tiger as His envoy. Like Elijah and the raven, Daniel and the
lions, it was as if two friends were meeting each other. It is written in the
Bible, [When a man's ways
please the Lord (God), He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.] (Prov. 16:7)
The tiger drew near to the filial son, lowered its body, and swung its
tail in the direction of its back, as if beckoning him to get on. Aware of what
it wanted, the filial son climbed on the tiger's back. The tiger proceeded to
cross over several mountain passes, running like a streak of lightning. It
stopped in front of a large gate to the house of a wealthy man. It was already
very late at night. The filial son knocked on the front door of the house and
called the owner. The large gate creaked open, and the owner came out. "I
was passing through and it is dark. May I lodge here for the night?" the filial
son asked. The owner, a generous countryman, welcomed him warmly and said,
"We have many rooms in our house and the guest room happens to be empty.
Please come in and make yourself at home." Later that night, the owner
awakened him. "Sir, sir!" he said. The owner woke him up to tell him
to eat, for today was the day his father's memorial service was being held. In
the countryside, it is customary for people to eat with their guests on days
hold memorial services. The filial son walked into the room rubbing his eyes
and was surprised to see a table laden with food including a plate full of soft
persimmons--the very thing his mother wanted to eat and exactly what he had
been searching for. The filial son was so astonished and overjoyed that he
could barely contain himself. The owner noticed his guest's reaction and
curiously asked him if anything was wrong. It was then that the filial son told
him the story of how he had arrived riding a tiger.
Upon hearing the entire story, the owner slapped his knee and said,
"Of course, now I understand." Now it was the guest's turn to ask
what was wrong. The owner replied, "Each year, I usually keep 200
persimmons for my father's memorial service. However, most of them usually
become spoiled or split open from being overripe, and I am usually left with
only seven or eight persimmons--just enough to fill a single plate for my
father's memorial service. This year there were fifty fresh persimmons left. I
thought it very strange, but as they say, 'Sincerity moves Heaven.' Heaven was
so touched by your outstanding filial piety that it kept fifty persimmons from
rotting for someone as inimitably filial as you. Don't worry. You can have them
all. Eat all the persimmons on this table, and I will carefully pack the rest
so that you can take them to your mother." After acquiring the persimmons,
the filial son could not sleep there at the thought of his mother waiting sick
in bed and bid farewell to the owner that very night. As he walked out the
gate, the very tiger that had given him a ride before was waiting for him. Once
again, he climbed on its back. It ran like a streak of lightning and in no
time, he arrived in front of his house. After letting him off, the tiger
returned to the mountains. This is a true story of a filial son who satisfied
his mother's desire, a story about someone from a previous era who lived on
this earth just like us.
It was God who asked a raven to give Elijah food, commanded bears to
punish the people who ridiculed Elisha, commanded a hawk to return the fish to
a filial son, and commanded a tiger to carry a filial son on its back so that
he could acquire soft persimmons. Why would He not take the loving filial sons
and daughters of this age to the new world, just as He took Elijah to heaven?
Those who have devotedly served their visible Gods on this earth have also
served and loved their invisible God, and He personally promised to give them
immortal life in the new world in the first commandment given for us. There are
many other places in God's Book where He made such a promise. There are
innumerable accounts from long ago of God loving filial sons who did not even
know the ways of Confucianism, Buddhism, or Christianity. He personally walked
with them, miraculously answered their desires, and poured all kinds of blessings
upon them.
The Filial Son Who Boiled His Son in a Cauldron as Medicine for His
Mother
Once, there was a couple living in the countryside whose mother was ill
with an unknown, incurable disease. Any medicine administered to her was
ineffective. The couple was in despair when a passing sage gave a truly
difficult prescription: "Your mother's illness will only be cured if she
eats a boiled child." Unfortunately, this filial son happened to have a
young son. He ran to his wife and said, "Honey, we can always have more
children, but once mother passes away, she will not be with us anymore. Let us
use our son for mother's medicine." Upon hearing this, his wife, who was
just as filial and dutiful as her husband, agreed. Their son, who was about
eight years old, was learning how to write at school in a neighboring village
at the time. When the time came for him to return home, the wife filled a huge
cauldron with water and started boiling it, while her husband went out to meet
him. As he came around the hill grinning happily, his son asked, "Father,
you've come out to meet me today. Is something the matter?" "Oh, I
came out today because I missed you," his father replied. "Come here,
I'll give you a piggyback ride," and carried his son on his back. Upon
arriving home, he signaled his wife, who had kept the fire burning, to open the
lid of the cauldron. He immediately threw his son in and quickly shut the lid.
The couple boiled the water in silence. Then, something incredible happened.
Their adorable son walked into the house smiling, greeted his parents, and told
them that he was back from school. "How can this be?" the father
asked. He quickly opened the lid of the cauldron only to discover a large, wild
ginseng root floating in the water.
God, who loves filial children very much, was deeply moved by the
exceptional devotion of this couple who did not spare their own son but
sacrificed him for their mother. He personally prepared a large wild ginseng
for them, saved the son, healed the mother's sickness, and rewarded this family
with great blessings. When Abraham did not spare his son but dedicated him as
an offering on Mount
Moriah, God prepared a
ram for him instead and saved Isaac. He did the same work once again. God is
the same yesterday, today, and forever. In this way, the son of this filial son
grew up to become a splendid man, while the mother who drank the wild ginseng
tea was completely cured of her illness and lived a long, healthy life. After
regaining their son and mother and receiving the blessings of heaven as well,
the filial son and his wife lived a long, happy life.
The Buddha Who Wears Shoes Backwards
Now, let me tell you the story of an unfilial son. In a small country
neighborhood, a widow who lost her husband early on was living alone with her
young son. This young son was her life and was both a son and husband to her--
the only person she depended on. Therefore, if there were anything delicious,
she would give it to him while she ate what was poor. She would clothe her son
with nice clothes and have him wear nice shoes. Everything good was his, while
everything bad or useless was hers. Because this son was raised in this manner
from a young age, it became natural for him to eat, wear, and use anything
nice, even after he grew up. He gave everything that was useless to his mother,
treated her cruelly, and despised her. Whenever she saw her grown-up son
mistreating her, she would be taken aback and spend the whole day in tears and
sorrow. Yet, she could do nothing about it because she had taught her son to be
like that from a young age; she was reaping the fruits of her own doing.
Therefore, when raising your children, teach them to give whatever is
good--whether it be fruits or any other food--to their parents, and eat and
drink whatever is of lesser quality.
One day, this unfilial son sold all their rice paddies in the mountains
as well as their small fields without even consulting his mother and announced
that he was going to Han-Yang* to earn money. He did not care whether she would
starve or die, and left the house without looking back. This mother had no way
to stop her unfilial son. She shed endless tears as she watched her heartless
son disappear over the hill and then returned to her cold, empty house.
(*Han-Yang was a large city that is present-day Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea)
In Han-Yang, the unfilial son tried to make a great deal of money by
running different kinds of businesses. However, for some reason, he ended up
either suffering a loss or failing in all he did. He squandered away all the
fortunes his widowed mother had painstakingly amassed and became pathetic. In
order to find out why he was so unlucky, this unfilial son decided to have his
fortune told. As a last resort, he went to see a fortuneteller who supposedly
made good hits. As soon as he placed the fee before the fortuneteller, the very
first thing he said was, "Oh, I see you've failed in everything. Fortune
will turn in your favor only if you return and take good care of the Buddha who
wears shoes backwards." Filled with hope, he left happily saying,
"That's it. Now my fortune will change for the better." He then went
to every Buddhist temple that was in the deep mountains and asked the monks if
there was a Buddha wearing shoes backwards in their temple. Everywhere he went,
he was told that there was no such Buddha. Rather, they looked at him
strangely, whispered among themselves, and mocked, "Where in the whole
world is there a Buddha who wears shoes backwards?"
The unfilial son bewailed, "Why am I so unlucky? Now, I won't even
be able to meet the Buddha who wears shoes backwards." He soon ran out of
money, and his shoes were so tattered that he could not travel any longer. Bent
with hunger, he had no choice but to head back to the small cottage in the
countryside where the mother he had mistreated lived. Along the way, he begged
for food and at times starved for days. He finally arrived home in the middle
of the night.
The unfilial son knocked on the door and called his mother. When he had
left, he was not concerned in the least with whether his mother would starve or
die; he had betrayed her and left home without saying one word to her. Now that
this impious son had nowhere to go, he had returned. When his mother heard him
knocking and calling out to her, she exclaimed, "Oh, you came back alive.
You're back. Where have you been?" She rushed out, opened the door, and
exclaimed, "How much suffering you must have gone through! You must be
hungry!" and scurried to the kitchen in order to set the table for her
son. As the unfilial son beheld his mother from behind, he saw that she was
wearing her shoes backwards. That was when the unfilial son came to a great
realization: "Ah, the Buddha who wears shoes backwards was actually my
mother at home!" In tears, he repented for all his wrong and for being so
terribly unfilial. From that day on, he began serving his mother as if she was
Buddha. Whenever he would come by anything nice--whether it was food, clothing
or shoes--he would always call his mother, "Mother, mother," and give
it to her or have her wear it first. He loved his mother with all his heart and
served her as if he was serving Buddha. His mother was now happy and joyful,
and the home became a paradise.
From then on, fortune turned in his favor. Everything he did, any
business he ran, and anything he was involved in was prosperous and successful.
In no time, he became a very wealthy man, married and had many children, and
lived happily with his mother, wife, and children.
Long ago, a sage once said, "A filial son is joy to both parents;
his home is peaceful, and everything goes well." This saying coincides
with the truth in the Bible, [Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you
rejoice,] [that it may be well
with you and you may live long on the earth.] (Prov. 23:25, Eph. 6:3)
If we too would like to receive blessings and be successful, let us
devotedly serve our parents, our visible Gods, as if they are the invisible
Gods, loving them with all our hearts. Then, God will bless us greatly, just as
He greatly blessed the filial sons throughout history. As promised in the
Bible, He will also give us the new world, the immortal country, as our
inheritance.
An Unfilial Son and a Filial Grandson
This is a story from a time when people left elderly people to die in
open tombs, according to an ancient burial custom of Korea. There was an unfilial man of
age who had a grown-up son. One day, he said to his son, "Carry your
grandmother deep into the mountains on an A-frame carrier and abandon her
there." It was common practice during those days for people to take their
aged parents to the mountains and either abandon them there or confine them in
a cave. The time came for this family to do the same. There is an old saying
that a grandmother's love is her grandson. This grandson grew up in his
grandmother's love and care. She loved him the most, and he loved her the most.
However, his father was now ordering him to carry her deep into the mountains
and leave her there to become prey for the animals.
With no choice but to obey his father's orders, the son replied,
"Yes, father," and left carrying his beloved grandmother on an
A-frame carrier. After traveling into the mountains for some time, he found a
warm and sunny spot and carefully put his grandmother down on the grass.
"Grandmother."
"What?"
"Please wait here for a while. I'll come back for you very
soon."
"Alright, child."
The grandson quickly ran home with the A-frame carrier on his back. When
he returned home, his father was sitting on the porch to confirm that his son
had carried out his command.
"Did you abandon your grandmother?"
"Yes, father. I did."
After answering his father, the boy took the A-frame carrier he had used
to abandon his grandmother and carefully hung it on the wall of the storeroom
as his father looked on. When his father saw that, he bluntly asked,
"You should have discarded that old carrier, too. Why are you
hanging it on the wall so carefully?"
"I must take good care of this A-frame carrier so that when you
grow old, I can carry you into the mountains with it and abandon you,
also."
The father was startled to hear this. He thought, "I'm in big
trouble. He will definitely carry me on that A-frame carrier and abandon me
when I grow old." Everything before him went black.
"Hey, quickly bring your grandmother back."
This is how the filial piety of a good grandson saved his grandmother.
An unfilial adult is no better than a child is. There is an old saying that
even though you have ten children, you do not mind if all your children
defecate or urinate; you adore them in spite of their filthiness. Though you
only have two parents, when they grow old, shed tears, or have a runny nose,
you feel disgusted and refuse to eat at the same table with them; you merely
mistreat them. However, if we were to consider how indebted we are to our
parents for enduring so much to raise us, we would try to repay their grace.
Yet, because it is as wide and vast as the heavens, there would be no way to
repay it all.
Even Confucius taught, "While your parents are alive, devote
yourself entirely to serving them. When supporting them, care for them with a
cheerful heart. When they become ill, fully concern yourself with nursing them.
When they pass away, grieve for them with all the sorrow in you. And when
holding your parents' memorial service, mourn for them with all the solemnity
in you." "When your parents are living, do not travel far; if you
must, be sure to tell them where you will be. When your parents call you,
answer them immediately; even if there is food in your mouth, spit it out
immediately and answer, 'Yes'." "Someone who is obedient and filial
to their parents will also have an obedient and filial child; someone who is
unfilial and disobedient to their parents will also have an unfilial and
disobedient child. If you cannot believe this, take a look at the drops of
water that fall down from the eaves. They will fall down in the same place a
drop of water fell just moments ago."
It is written in the holy writings, "Contempt for parental
authority will soon lead to contempt for the authority of God. Therefore, the
god of this world, the demon (Satan), strives to lessen the obligation of the
fifth commandment (filial piety)."
Honoring and loving your parents is honoring and loving God; despising
and disobeying them is despising and disobeying Him. Satan, the god of this
world, knows this all too well. He has the children in this world disregard God
and disobey Him by urging them to disobey their parents and be unkind to them
first. Parents are visible Gods, ambassadors of the invisible God. Satan knows
very well that if he can just make people disobey and defy their visible Gods,
they will naturally defy the invisible God. Therefore, he does whatever he can
to make all the children in this world unfilial to their parents. Satan knows
very well that once this happens, all the children in this world are his prey.
On the other hand, those who do not know God, Jesus, or the Bible, but serve
and honor their parents well are, in fact, serving God and loving Him. God
loves them and gives them immortal life in the new world.
Since the creation of this earth, God loved filial children, regardless
of whether they believed in a religion or not, and regardless of their
nationality or race. He walked with them and satisfied their desires with
overflowing blessings and miracles. This applies to Biblical history as well.
The prophets of faith who received God's great calling and were used by Him
throughout history were all filial children who were obedient and devoted to
their parents. God never called or used anyone who was disobedient and unfilial
to their parents.
Filial Sons of the Bible
The Filial Moses
Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, left his parents at the age of
twelve to live in the palace of Egypt, a country with a different religion that
worshipped sundry evil spirits. Until he was twelve, his parents requested of
him, "Moses, you are different from other people. You are a son of God.
Wherever you go, serve only God and never bow down to other gods. You are
different. You are God's son who will become the shepherd who will lead the
Israelites to freedom. Please never forget that. Do you understand?" He
replied, "Yes, I understand. I will never forget your words." Young
Moses left his parents when he was called to the Egyptian palace. Moses lived
in that splendid palace for decades--from when he was a child until he became a
youth, and even until he reached the prime of life. Numerous temptations and
fascinations tried to seize him, and the persecution he received was great.
However, Moses was victorious because he was determined to cherish and obey the
instructions he received from his parents at a young age.
By obeying his parents' instructions, young Moses was able to repel the
extravagances and gaieties of Egypt. By obeying his parents' instructions, he
did not kneel to the gods of Egypt. By obeying his parents' instructions, he
was able to be overcome sexual temptations. By obeying his parents'
instructions, he was able to renounce the throne and riches of Egypt. By
obeying his parents' instructions, he became the leader of Israel and God's
great prophet. Until Moses passed away at the age of 120, he was an inimitably
filial son who obeyed the instructions his parents gave him when he was twelve.
God loved this filial son so much that He bestowed the greatest glory and
privilege upon him.
The Filial Elijah and Elisha
Elijah and Elisha were indeed precious filial sons who obeyed their
parents beautifully. During that corrupt age, they neither mingled with the
corrupt world nor associated with wicked friends. They obeyed their parents'
instructions at home, and devoted themselves to helping their parents with the
farming and household affairs. God of heaven, the great King of the universe
called these obedient, filial sons to be His great prophets and glorious
workers.
The Filial David
Unlike his brothers who would often get together with their friends and
go places, young David was very trustworthy. He only did what his father
ordered him to do. He was a young filial son who faithfully took care of the
flock his brothers neglected. Though Jesse had many sons, none were as faithful
in taking care of the flock as David. That is why Jesse always entrusted the
flock to his obedient son, David.
God set aside all of David's handsome older brothers, chose him, and
made him the king of Israel.
The Filial Joseph
Joseph was different from his stepbrothers. Like David, he was a son who
fully obeyed his father's words. Before becoming an overseer of his prison and
Pharaoh's prime minister, he was the overseer in his family who gained the
confidence of his father. Even when his wild stepbrothers sold him as a slave
to a foreign land, something more dreadful than death to him, he clenched his
little fists tightly and determined that wherever he went, he would live
according to his father's words and only serve and obey his father's God. By
obeying his father's instructions, he became a trustworthy overseer of the
prison. By obeying his father's words and fearing his God, he was able to brush
off the temptations of a woman. By obeying his father's words, he grew up to
become Pharaoh's teacher. By obeying his father's words, he became a wise overseer
who ruled over the Egyptian nation. Pharaoh only sat on the throne; in reality,
Joseph was the "king" who controlled the economy and the government.
From his youth until he passed away, this filial son never departed from his
father's instructions. God gave him a glorious calling, was with him wherever
he went, and clothed him with immense favor and glory.
The Filial Daniel and His Three Friends
Just by looking at the names of Daniel and his three friends, we can see
how thoroughly their parents educated their children to live according to God's
will. The name Daniel means, "Jehovah is my Judge." It was a name
from his parents' desire to only serve Jehovah and not worship or fear the
judgment of any other god. When Daniel and his three friends were taken captive
by the Babylonian army, the parents of these young sons held their hands
tightly and earnestly entreated them, "Even if you die, die gloriously
only serving and loving God. Do you understand?" "Yes, father. Yes,
mother," replied these four young boys as they parted from their parents.
Like Moses, they also encountered numerous temptations and persecutions at the
magnificent palace of Babylon. However, by obeying the words of their parents,
they were able to object to the king's orders. By obeying the words of their
parents, they were able to overcome intemperance in diet. By obeying the words
of their parents, they were able to become men of prayer. By obeying the words
of their parents, they were able to enter the lions' den and the fiery furnace
and become victorious warriors.
God especially loved these inimitably filial sons, taught them all the
secret revelations of His heart, and bestowed the greatest glory and honor upon
them.
The Filial John the Baptist
As the son of a high priest, John the Baptist should have attended
prophet school, comparable to a present-day theological seminary, with the rest
of his friends. However, in order to obey his father's words and follow his
will, he forsook the corrupt theological schools and went to the secluded
countryside where he faithfully farmed and took care of the household affairs.
John was the loveliest filial son of his time. His father was an elderly
priest, and his mother was too old to work. As a filial son, he alone took
charge of all the farming and household affairs. God chose this filial son,
praised him, saying, [Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the
Baptist,] (Luke 7:28) and
gloriously crowned him as the greatest prophet.
The Filial Jesus
Jesus was also an inimitably filial son. Since He was young, Jesus never
once disobeyed the words of His parents. Even as He died, shedding water and
blood on the cross, He did not forget His loving mother and entrusted her to
His disciple John. Jesus was an inimitably filial son who honored His parents
unto death. He loved his mother and was more concerned about her than His own
life. [When Jesus (on the
cross) therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing
by,...said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!] From now on, please serve her in my
stead." [And from that hour
that disciple took her to his own home.] (John 19:26, 27)
God was pleased with this filial Son and uplifted Him as the Savior of
mankind. If Jesus had been an unfilial son who treated His parents with contempt and disobeyed them at a young
age, God would have never made Him the Savior. Throughout the six thousand-year
history of mankind, from the time of the Old Testament to the New Testament,
God only called children who were filial and entrusted His glorious work to
them. There is not one unfilial child among those He has called.
The Inimitably Unfilial Kwang-Gyu
However, one instance where God used an unfilial son is when He called and used me, Kwang-Gyu (Suk Sun). I cannot fit in the ranks of or even stand among the heralds of
the past six thousand years. I am grateful just to be called as a son who
stands at the very back of the ranks of the holy group who will enter the new
world, after the entire world is radiated by the glorious light of heaven's
grand truth.
When I was young, I was only unfilial to my parents; I do not know why God called me to participate in this
final glorious work.
When I was young, I grew up under my parents eating plenty of boiled
barley and barley porridge. When we did not have enough barley to eat, we would
grind it up and use it to make a watery porridge to spare the barley. Eating
barley porridge with salty kimchi* was so delicious back then--I have never
eaten anything more delicious than that in my life, even at a banquet. Our
family did not eat barley porridge back then because we were poor; we were
actually the wealthiest family in our neighborhood. We sold all the rice we
harvested to buy rice paddies. In other words, we ate barley porridge only for
the joy of buying more rice paddies. My father was the only son in his family
for three generations. Though my grandfather was a rich man, he believed that
war would break out and said that there was no use in buying land because, if
anything happened, the family would have to flee with the money. Therefore, he
never bought any fields or rice paddies and only held on to his money. Then one
day, the house caught on fire and all the money burned. Because he passed away
without leaving his only son an inheritance, my father had to gain his fortune
with his own bare hands. That is why my parents had high earning power and were
both tenacious and upright. No matter what hardship or poverty they
experienced, they never asked other people for help or favors. (*Kimchi is a popular Korean side dish of spicy
pickled vegetables.)
Our family code of conduct was "honesty, diligence, and economy
(thrift)." At the same time, I saw my parents giving an entire dish or a
large gourd of rice to beggars or Buddhist monks who came to us. I grew up with
six siblings--three brothers and three sisters. When we were four or five, our
father had us learn from Chun Ja Moon*. Even before attending elementary school,
we had already read at least one or two (traditional) books written with Chinese
characters. Among them were Chun Ja Moon, Dong Mong Sun Seub*, and Myung Shim Bo Gam*. We grew up not knowing what vanity or
extravagance was. Because honesty was a part of our family code of conduct, we
grew up honestly and understood the dire consequences of bringing home even a
piece of straw that belonged to someone else. (*Chun Ja Moon is a traditional children's primer of 1,000
standard Chinese characters) (*Dong Mong Sun Seub is a traditional children's textbook of
morals and history) (*Myung Shim Bo Gam is a traditional collection of moral
teachings for character building)
My brothers, sisters, and I obeyed our parents unconditionally. Even
when my older brothers were over fifty years old, they discussed everything
with father. They never began a business without consulting him. Even when it
came to buying land, a shop, or a house with their own money, they were filial
sons who always discussed it with him first. I grew up as the sixth of seven
children and the third son in the family. My mother always told me that I was
the most obedient out of all seven and that she rarely scolded me. She said,
"Since you were young, I never had to find your socks for you. Before
going to bed early in the evening, you folded your clothes and socks, placed them
neatly next to your pillow, and put them on when you got up the next morning. I
never had to nag you."
I remember something amusing that happened when I was about five or six
years old. At that time, there were no fruits, and I wanted so much to eat the
cucumbers we had planted in the
field. They had a faint, sweet scent, and just looking at the cucumbers made my mouth water. I ran to mother.
"Mother, I just want to eat one cucumber."
"No, you can't. I need it to make your father's side dish for
dinner."
My parents then took all my older brothers and sisters to work, and I
ended up playing in the house all by myself. However, I only thought of
cucumbers while I was playing.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the cucumber field. The sight of
light green cucumbers lying here and there made my mouth water. The whole family was working
in the fields and paddies; I was alone in the cucumber field. Even if I were to
pick a cucumber and eat it, no one would be able to see or know. However, I
could not eat it because my mother had told me in the morning not to. I
crouched down next to a delicious-looking cucumber and poked it with my
thumbnail. Because the cucumber was tender, some of its flesh was scooped out
by the edge of my thumbnail. With my tongue, I reached for the piece of
cucumber flesh caught on the end of my nail, then nibbled on it with the edge
of my teeth, savoring the taste. "Ah, this is good," I told myself as
I sat down and continued to taste the cucumber by poking into them with my nail.
After a while, even that did not satisfy me, so I returned home dejectedly and
played by myself.
After returning home that evening, my mother went to the field to get
some cucumbers to make a side dish for dinner. She noticed that a few of them had scars
on them. Judging by the size of the marks, it was only obvious who made them.
"Kwang-Gyu!" my mother yelled. At the sound of my mother calling, I
replied, "Yes," and ran to her. "Dear, I guess you really wanted
to eat cucumbers to have poked them like this. Here, have one," she said. She then
picked a cucumber and gave it to me. Only then did I gladly eat the delicious
cucumber. I have never tasted such a delicious cucumber since then. Though I
grew up in a family that did not believe in God, I grew up with that kind of
honesty. The children of families these days that profess to believe in and
serve God should be more honest and truthful.
It is written in the Bible, [Whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, "It is no
transgression," the same is companion to a destroyer.] (Prov. 28:24) Even if the coins belong to
your parents, secretly taking it from their pockets and using it is plainly
stealing. Whether it is money, food, or anything else, a child should first ask
their parents for permission and then eat or use it in an honest manner. It has
been said that only those who are honest, those whose hearts and lips are free
of deceit, will enter the new world. Children should be honest so that their
parents can trust them wherever they go.
Even after I grew up and was in middle school, my family ate only barley
during the summer. At that time, a majority of the rural citizens in our
country ate only barley. However, my mother especially packed me "half and
half rice"--a mix of barley and white rice, added on one side of the pot
when the barley is cooked--for lunch on schooldays. When I unpacked my lunch at
school and ate together with my friends, I could not to swallow the rice,
choked at the thought of my father eating barley for breakfast. After eating
just a little, I would pack it back up. At dinnertime, I would set it out
before my father who was about to eat barley. I said, "Father, I didn't
feel like eating my lunch today. Please take it." How glad I was to see
him eating it! During the winters, when my father crossed over the hill to his
friend's house and spend the night there, I would wake up early at dawn, take a
bamboo spade, and sweep the snowy path my father would be walking on, afraid
his feet might become cold if the snow that fell the night before went into his
shoes. Sometimes, I even escorted him home. Though my father did not express
it, I knew that he was very pleased and happy.
Because I was an obedient son, I grew up loved by my father. However, I
became a defiant, unfilial son to him from the moment I started believing in
Jesus. Although he told me not to believe, I still believed. Although he told
me not to observe the Lord's day, I did. Though he told me to throw the Bible
away and burn It, I would get another one and read it. My father was terribly
perplexed. I had been obedient ever since I was young and had grown up with the
least amount of scolding among the seven siblings. Nevertheless, after
believing in Jesus, I became an extremely unfilial son, which was probably why
my father persecuted me so severely.
My parents forced me to leave home four times. Because I grew up so
innocently at home, I thought that I would not be able to survive outside home.
However, I was able to leave my house by trusting fully in God and depending
upon Him. When my father first drove me out of the house, I went to live with
my older brother. The second time, my sister told me to come and stay with her,
so I lived with her and helped at her shop.
The fourth and last time my father forced me to leave was after I was
discharged from the army. Maybe it was because I reached an age of discretion,
but I was very ashamed that my neighbors had witnessed it. I left the house
without a penny; I did not know how I would maintain a living. I left merely
trusting in God and depending upon Him. Whether walking or sitting down, I just
continued praying to Him. It was early summer then, and a brother of the faith
suggested that I try selling iced tea during the summer. After praying about
it, I went to my second oldest brother who was running a store, borrowed some
money from him, and bought a used iced teacart. I planned to make money by
selling a glass of ice tea for five or ten won.* If it was not for my faith, I
could not have imagined that this son of a wealthy family doing such an
embarrassing job. At first, I was so embarrassed that I could not even stand
near the cart. If a customer would come and ask for iced tea, I would run
reluctantly to the wagon, sell him a glass of it, and flee back to my friend's
small shop nearby. If another customer came, I would run out reluctantly, sell
it, and then flee again. Later on, I became the most popular iced tea salesman.
God was with me even in that work and bestowed many precious blessings and
wonders upon me. It would be fun to talk about them, but I will have to skip it
due to the lack of space. (*Five won is equivalent to USD $0.04.)
When summer ended, I could not to sell iced tea any longer. Unemployed,
I sought another job. My parents brought me up gently at home, and now I was faced
with the destiny of having to make it through the rough and dangerous world on
my own, without any skills or means. Only God was with me, and I was determined
to only depend on Him and live in an area where I would not meet or see anyone
from my hometown, where there would be no one I knew, where there would be just
God and me, heaven and me.
I was determined to leave my hometown forever due to the persecution,
torment, and disgraceful events. I was afraid to meet people from my hometown
if I went to a large city like Seoul or Busan, and so I decided to go to a
place I had never been to--the city of Iri, Jeonla Province. I would go and see
what it was like. If I did not like it, I would trust in God and move to
another place. I went to Iri; God's providence kept me there, and I decided to
stay there for the time being. I began by selling peanuts in front of a movie
theatre on the main street. I was able to preserve my faith even while selling
peanuts past eleven o'clock at night in the winter. God was with me and blessed
me, and I became one of the highest givers of tithe among the members of my
church in Iri. Though I sold peanuts from morning to night to people who
visited the movie theatre and heard the unwholesome music blaring, I never
sinned in thought. God always watched over my heart and conscience and was a
living Witness. I lived every moment of each day united with heaven through
prayer.
Afterwards, I tried selling roasted yams, and underwear and sweaters
made from recycled fibers. Then, I tried selling Bible study guides. On one
extremely severe winter day when the sun had already set, I tried to take a
shortcut and return home quickly. It was already getting dark when I
accidentally fell into a pit of manure right next to a rice paddy by the side
of the road. That evening, I rode the train outside the car and shivered from
the cold for several hours. Though I traveled around like that, I never once
resented my parents for persecuting me and driving me out of the house. They
just seemed so pitiful to me.
By God's providence, I later worked at a certain orphanage that someone
introduced me to in the town of Ch대nan. I discovered that it was a large orphanage with over 240 orphans,
about the size of a small, rural elementary school. My job was to lead the
general worship at dawn, in the evenings, and on Sunday afternoons and teach
the Word of God. Pastors from Protestant churches previously held that
position. People told me that the pastors who worked there before me used clubs
to control the orphans because they were so unruly.
I was the youngest evangelist there and became completely united with
the orphans through love while living with them. I worked with them, talked
with them, washed their faces, and wiped their noses. When the orphans saw me,
they followed me around, and did everything I told them. I realized that love
was stronger than the club was. I came to the greatest realizations about
heaven's love while I was there and shed endless tears every day, thinking
about that infinite love. When I climbed up the hill to pray, I felt the glory
of heaven shining around me, and heaven walking and abiding with me at every
moment.
After leaving my home, I held some of the lowliest jobs and did some of
the most menial work while following God's guidance around this rugged,
perilous world. Through it all, I tasted the toil, suffering, loneliness, and
poverty of our Savior. I also came to understand the situation of the poor,
lonely, and destitute in this world. By living such a life, I learned mercy, compassion,
and sympathy. That is not all I experienced. I did heavy labor at construction
sites as a day laborer, became a wandering peddler, and even sat on the side of
the street as a shoemaker repairing shoes.
No matter what I did or wherever I went, even when I underwent
hardships, I never once resented my parents. Though my parents opposed my
faith, I never left the house of my own accord. I left only when my parents
drove me out. Even if your parents oppose your faith, you are an unfilial child
if you betray them and leave the house of your own accord, even though they had
not driven you out.
Though our parents may oppose our faith and persecute us, we should
uphold and serve them to the end. If your parents later drive you out of the
house, it is all right to leave then since you have no other choice but to do
so. My father drove me out of the house four times; if I counted all the
smaller persecutions, it was more than that. One time my father drove me out of
the house in the daytime with just some blankets. Another time, he drove me out
in the middle of night while I was sleeping. There was also a time when he
drove me out during the summer. I had nowhere to go, so I went to the church
prayer room. I fell asleep while I was praying, and the mosquitoes bit me so
much that my face was completely swollen the next morning. I looked up to see a
large air vent in the ceiling. All the mosquitoes between the ceiling and roof
had come down through there and bitten me all over my face. I slept in that
prayer room for many days. Still I did not move into the pastor's house because
I did not want to trouble him.
Though that was how I lived, I would always my parents a letter and
enclose a small amount of money I earned on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, or
their birthdays. I always wrote, "Father, (date) is your birthday. Please
forgive this unfilial son. If there is anything you would like to eat, please
use this money to buy it." I later learned that when my father received
the letter, he threw the money on the ground, saying, "Who told him to
send any money?" However, I knew my father's heart and love--that was not
his real intention. He was only doing that in front of our family, and I prayed
for him because I knew that he tormented deep inside and was worried sick about
me.
Afterwards, I stopped by my hometown and stayed at home for a short
while. My father never cried in his entire life. Even after personally burying
one of his children, he took his meal without shedding a tear. However, now he
was weeping aloud because of me. It was the first time I ever saw him cry. My
father was in his room, and my mother and I were in another room when I heard
him cry out, "Out of my four sons, I had the greatest expectations for
you. I never thought you'd become such an unfilial, disobedient son."
Until then, I had easily overcome every persecution and trial, but that trial
was truly difficult to overcome. I felt an urge to rush into his room and say,
"Father, I will abandon my faith. Please stop crying." I barely
managed to overcome that final trial. Though it is true that we should serve
our parents as visible Gods, we should not serve them above our heavenly
Father. When the commands of God and our parents conflict with each other, we
should be devoted to our parents while standing on God's side. That is the way
to deliver our parents and the way to show true filial piety to them. [Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for
this is right.] (Eph. 6:1)
I also went through a time of heart-rending struggle over my parents
before I was victorious. Not long afterwards, my father told me to come back
home. He said that he would allow me to marry the person of my choice and give
me my inheritance. When he told me that, I gave him this condition:
"Father, though I am the third son, am I still not your son? If you intend
on getting me married, then I will only marry if you come and live with me.* If
you will not come and live with me then I will not get married." I truly
wanted to have my parents live with me so that I could take care of them. My
father replied, "We can discuss that after the marriage. Get married
first." I married the woman who is presently my wife. My father gladly
accepted a Christian daughter-in-law, and even traveled hundreds of miles to
attend our wedding at Namwon Church. Though we refused, he insisted on giving
us wedding rings and gifts and wished us the best of luck. After living
together for one month, my father had us move out and live by ourselves. I had
no choice but to live separately from my parents, and my wife and I did our
best to make them happy. (*According to Korean tradition, the eldest son was
responsible for taking care of elderly parents.)
For my father's sixtieth birthday, we gave him a watch. In addition, we
gave my father and mother each a gold ring and a Bible. Though my older
brothers were better off than we were, they did not think of giving him such
gifts. I saw that my parents were very pleased. As Christians, we should not
wear rings for the sake of luxury. However, for parents who do not know God,
until they do understand, giving them something like a ring in order to please
them is a proper and wise thing to do.
Once, there was a devout Christian woman who married into an unbelieving
family. The first thing she did was to make her father-in-law a beautiful
cigarette pouch. After giving it to him, she bowed deeply every morning for an
entire year. One morning, her father-in-law asked, "Dear, what would you
like me to do for you?" The daughter-in-law politely replied, "I would
like you to believe in God with us and go to heaven." The father-in-law
said, "Fine. Starting from today, I will do it." In front of his
daughter-in-law, he broke the long cigarette holder with his knee and even
burned the cigarette pouch she had made for him. Later, people said that he
served God more faithfully than his son or daughter-in-law before passing away.
Though we should not buy our unbelieving parents liquor, tobacco, or anything
else that is harmful to them, we should do whatever we can to please them with other
things. Once the children's filial piety touches their parents, they will come
to a realization, regret on their own, and automatically give up everything
that is harmful. What unbelieving parents need first is love and filial piety
from their believing children. We should not try to be excessively righteous
like the Pharisees. True righteousness is nothing but love. A truly righteous
person is someone who lovingly serves and cares for all mankind and leads
others to the right path.
My father finally understood my true intentions. I had disobeyed him not
because my heart for him changed, but because I was obeying God of heaven. He
realized that my filial piety for him had not changed at all. Love was
victorious after all. I entered my father's room alone and told my touched
father what I wished.
"Father, I have one life-long wish."
"What is it?"
"Our church will be holding an evangelistic meeting this week. I
would like you to attend the meeting for just one week."
"Okay, I'll attend."
It was a miracle. Even if the heavens caved in, he would not have agreed
to go in the past. My stubborn father agreeing to go to a church and attend an
evangelistic meeting was a miracle only our God could have fulfilled. My father
had a change of heart. To my disappointment, however, the evangelistic meetings
did not move him at all. He passed away without having accepted God. After
hearing the news of my father's death, I went to where my father laid in state.
Though no one else wanted to sleep in the room where he laid in the coffin, I
wanted to sleep with my father one last night before separating from him
forever. I went inside, embraced his coffin, and spent one last night with my
father before parting with him.
Dear children with loving parents! Please do not become unfilial and
disobedient children like me.
An ancient poet once wrote:
"Serve your parents all you can while they are still alive.
For after they have passed away, what good is all your grief?
All your life, it shall be one thing you cannot change."
Dear beloved reader! I hope that you honor your parents with all your
heart while they are alive and while the opportunity still exists. If you do
not, I fear that you will become like me, lose the opportunity, and regret it
for eternity.
Honor the Visible God First
Before being faithful to God, all children should first be fully devoted
to their parents. Before becoming workers of God, they should become filial
children who serve their parents well. These days, many Christian workers and
laymen who claim to serve God with all their heart make the mistake of
neglecting their visible Gods and are undutiful to them. Even if they lived
believing for [a thousand years twice] (Eccl. 6:6), it would be completely useless--there is no salvation for
them. Before we serve the invisible God, we must first know how to serve our
visible Gods devotedly. Some people were fully devoted to their parents, their
visible Gods, even though they did not know the ways of Confucianism, Buddhism,
or Christianity. From ancient times to the present, God has especially loved
such people and personally walked with them. In addition, He clearly promised
in the fifth commandment that He would give them eternal life and the new
world. [Honor your father and
your mother, that your days may be long upon the land (new world) which the
Lord your God is giving you.] (Exo. 20:12)
Long ago, when the Jews were told to be filial to their parents, they
made excuses saying they rendered all the service that was due to their parents
to God. By being undutiful to their parents, they were destroyed. However, a
gentile woman like Ruth, who was not even one of the chosen, was loved by God,
received the honor of being an ancestor of the Savior, and entered eternal life
for being so devoted to her father-in-law and mother-in-law.
People strictly respect and exalt kings and presidents while they
neglect their parents. They hold high esteem for ministers, so-called servants
of God, as well as the Pope and Buddhist monks, while they treat their own
parents recklessly. This is the exact opposite, a great mistake, and corruption
in itself. Parents should be exalted and respected much more than the
President, a pastor, or the Pope. This is because our parents are visible Gods
who, in God's stead, passed on to us our life and bodies. That is why in the
first commandment among those He gave to man, He does not tell us to serve
God's servants well or revere kings, but to "honor your mother and your
father." "Parents are entitled to a degree of love and respect which
is due to no other person," such as a minister, monk, or even the
President. "God Himself, who has placed upon them (parents) a
responsibility for their children committed to their (parents') charge, has
ordained that during the earlier years of life, parents shall stand in the
place of God to their children. And he who rejects the rightful authority of
his parents is rejecting the authority of God."
The Love of a Visible God
Long ago during a time when people left elderly people to die in open
tombs, according to an ancient burial custom of Korea, there lived an unfilial
son. In order to abandon his aged mother, he carried her on an A-frame carrier
deep into a mountain that was alive with ferocious animals. On the way, his
mother who was sitting on the A-frame carrier continued breaking twigs off pine
trees and dropping them on the ground. The unfilial son scolded her.
"Mother, why are you bothering to break off those twigs when you
are going to die?" he bluntly asked. Without answering one word, she kept
breaking off the twigs and dropping them to the ground. When he had reached a
place deep in the rugged mountains where his mother would never be able to find
her way out, the unfilial son set down the A-frame carrier. It was somewhere
deep in a mountain which was alive with ferocious animals. After practically
throwing his mother off the A-frame carrier, the dishonorable son turned around
to leave without even saying good-bye. That was when the mother who had
remained silent the entire trip into the deep mountains began to speak.
"Wait a minute, dear."
"What do you want?"
"This place is very deep in the mountains. There are many ferocious
animals here, and the path is so rugged it is difficult to come here. I was
worried that you might get lost on your way back home, so I broke twigs off the
pine trees and threw them on the ground. All you need to do is follow those
twigs and you will be able to return home safely. Be careful not to lose your
way. Go and live happily with your children," she said.
Oh, what an amazing love that mother had! Would Heaven not punish that
child who abandoned his mother (parent) and, on the other hand, reward children
who are filial to such parents with the immortal new world? This mother is not
the only one who possesses such a holy love for her child. All parents in the
world, including the parents who live in our very own homes, also begot and
raised their children with the same love. What God would take children who
betray such parents to the new world and give them immortal life? Before we think
about going to heaven, we should first honor our parents. Instead of coveting
eternal life, we should first be filial to our parents. Before becoming a
worker for God, we should first become good children who obey our parents. All
throughout history, God only chose filial children who were extremely devoted
to their parents, called and used them to fulfill His glorious mission, and
rewarded them with the land of immortality, eternal life.
[Children..."Honor your father and
mother," which is the first commandment with promise: "that it may be
well with you and you may live long (immortally) on the earth."] (Eph. 6:1-3) "Once again, [honor your father and your mother, that your
days may be long upon the land (the new world) which the Lord your God is giving
you.]" (Exo. 20:12)
Let us respectfully bow to and eternally thank our parents who came to
us as visible Gods, gave us life, nurtured us with their love and sacrifice,
and had us receive the immortal, new world as an inheritance.
The Life of a Swan
The swan lost all the beautiful feathers of her youth on her chest,
Only for her children, while brooding her eggs.
Now she goes off afar to catch fish for her newborn.
Without a net or a fishing rod, how will she catch any fish with just
her beak?
After using all her strength to barely catch one fish,
She looks at the fish that looks so appetizing.
The exhausted mother's stomach had been empty for a long time.
Hungry for the fish, her mouth waters.
However, thinking of her young she left at home,
The mother merely returns home with it.
The mother swan only feeds her young and does not properly fill her
stomach.
After raising her young in such a way for many days,
The mother swan becomes thinner and thinner,
And weaker and weaker.
Once, twice, three times...after raising her young for several years,
The mother swan is utterly exhausted, and her body is haggard.
She must move far, far away to the land down south
Before the cold winter comes.
However, the mother swan cannot go for she is weak and feels dizzy.
The mother swan gathers her young together,
Forces a smile, and tenderly bids them farewell, saying,
"Children, mommy will remain here and live alone. Go to that warm
land down south,
Don't fight with one another but love one another, and live happily for
a long, long time."
Again and again she advises them.
For the remaining few days of her life,
The mother swan that sent off her young
Weakly looks around the bank of the pond and on the ridge between the
rice paddies looking for something to eat
While being exposed to the cold frost all by herself.
And at the foot of an obscure hill, she quietly bows her head
And breathes her last breath, praying again and again that her young
will be well.
However, her young do not even think about their mother who has remained
behind.
They all fly far, far away to the land down south
Laughing merrily by themselves, singing and dancing,
And seeking their own happiness,
Not knowing that their mother who remained behind already breathed her
last breath.
The mother swan closes her eyes and sits
With an empty stomach that was never filled her whole life because of
her children.
However, her heart holds onto an armful of love for her children,
And she sits with a smile of satisfaction. This is the holy appearance
of the mother swan.
This is the holy life
Of a beautiful and loving angel swan.
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