Lent: Day 31 of 40
Name: Hannah Kim
Lenten Commitment: Giving back.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32
English Standard Version
We all love our families in our own different ways. But being the firstborn, there was always pressure to set a standard for others to follow and be proud of. Over time, this made it increasingly difficult to depend on people, even my own family. This stubbornness led me to neglect the people closest to me and cause divides within my home.
So, this Lent, I made it my goal to pray for my family members and break the walls that were built over the years during this time of repentance. I had realized that I rarely prayed for my family or the troubles they faced. Because of this revelation, I started doing small acts of kindness towards my family. I hoped that this would provide me with the encouragement I needed to strengthen my prayers and spend time with Jesus every day.
At first, I thought it would be easy to revive the friendly relationship I once had with my family, but I found it to be a difficult task. My day to day activities ended up completely changing. I tried to take walks or do other small ‘ice breakers’ with my family members during the week.
It was super awkward talking to each other for long periods of time because it had been something foreign for so long. But as the days progressed, the awkwardness soon subsided and our conversations opened up.
Praying for my family members was also pretty difficult because I usually left it until the end of my day. I realized this was not a good strategy because I was always exhausted by the time my day was over. Eventually, I shifted so that I would pray as soon as I woke up. This helped me clear my head for the rest of my day and I ended up just sticking with that until now! I never thought that devoting a small portion of the morning to God would change my whole perspective on the day.
Throughout the past few weeks, I have learned to be more patient and be more ready to love and forgive. Building or rebuilding relationships with people is difficult, but I feel like anything is possible through the love of Jesus Christ. The positive results of getting closer to my family and God has truly inspired me to continue and spread the love.
About the pic
Korean Traditional Dance has been a huge part of my life for a long time. Despite that, I never had one picture with my mom in my performing gear. I had no problem smiling for tons of pictures with strangers, but I never made the time to capture these memories with my mom. I truly appreciate all she has done for me. So at a performance earlier this week, I kept my promise and finally took a picture con Mama Kim.
Dongsan Youth Group 