Written by Hyun Jeong-A

A persimmon with many dark scars, a persimmon eaten by insects, and a persimmon that fell to the ground and became bruised.

When I was little, I used to peel scarred persimmons while sitting across from my grandmother. I cut away the deeply scarred parts of the persimmons with a knife and threaded them onto a thin string. Then, the persimmons had to endure the sunshine and wind under the eaves for two months.

Although I have experienced the grace of forgiveness of sins, I was still like a bitter persimmon that no one would want to put in their mouth. Seeing a bruised persimmon become a dried persimmon and be loved by its master, I make up my mind to cut away my sins completely this New Year and do my best to please my Master by enduring hardships with joy for the Lord.

Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #929