694. Accepting a Group Assault as My Own Fault and Making a New Start

💌 694. Accepting a Group Assault as My Own Fault and Making a New Start

The middle-aged man began explaining why he had been beaten like that. I was not particularly eager to listen, but he had been badly beaten and was pouring out his heart. I thought, “What would the Lord have done in a moment like this?” and I just could not send him away.

He said, “Today is payday, and after having a drink with my co-workers, I happened to be passing through this area. The barmaids suddenly grabbed me, pulled me in, and tempted me, so I ended up going into the bar and drinking the liquor they served me.

I drank with those women until 4:30 a.m., and when I went to settle the bill, it came out to 1.1 million Won. I did not think I had drunk that much, so I was utterly shocked and speechless. But since it was what I caused, I had no choice but to accept it. So I reluctantly handed over the one million Won I had and said, ‘This is all I have right now, so just take this,’ and walked out.

Then the women got angry, insisting that I pay the remaining 100,000 Won as well. I told them I would try to bring it next time, but they refused to let it go and grabbed me, beating me mercilessly. I have never seen such vicious women in my life,” he said, trembling.

I was truly shocked. At that time, 1 million Won was a huge sum of money. To lose such a large amount through a moment of temptation—and then to be beaten so severely over 100,000 won—was just unbelievable.

He went on, “I was beaten so badly that I could hardly breathe—I truly thought I was going to die. But then you came out and tried to stop them, and ended up taking the blows in my place. I am so sorry. But thanks to you, I was able to escape from those fierce women. Thank you so much.” As he spoke, tears rolled down his cheeks.

I said, “I only did what I was supposed to do. I believe it was not truly me, but our good Lord, who loves you so much, that He sent me there at that moment.” Then, I offered up his soul to the Lord, hoping that he would take this experience as a lesson and never fall into such temptation again.

Seeing that he might be filled with anger and resentment, unable to forgive those who had hurt him, I spoke to him in a way that might help him accept what had happened as “my fault.”

“Brother, you must be feeling deep pain—both physically and emotionally—after losing such a large amount of money, being beaten so severely, and suffering such wounds. But think about it... If you had never passed by that bar, you would not have been tempted at all, right?”

He nodded, “That is true.” I continued, “Yes, you were on that street at that time, and that is why those barmaids pulled you in. They are always on the lookout for customers to increase their sales, and they spotted you right away. But brother, there are so many other paths you could have taken. Choosing to walk down that street, where bars are clustered, was a mistake in itself. In a way, you unintentionally provided them with the opportunity to tempt you.

That is how it happened. So please try to accept this as ‘my fault.’ There is a saying, ‘One mistake can lead to a valuable lesson.’ If you take this incident as an opportunity to start anew, you will be able to avoid even greater misfortunes. I trust that you will not repeat this mistake in the future. I know you are upset and hurting right now, but please accept it as ‘my fault’ thinking, ‘It happened because I was that place at the time,’ and forgive them.

If hating them could bring your money back, then by all means, you could have hated them as much as you want. But if you give in to hatred and anger, it will disturb your peace and cause you even more hurting pain. Losing such a large sum of money all at once must be very upsetting. It is tough, but try to think of it with Semchigo as if that money never existed, or Semchigo as if it were spent on medical expenses due to a major accident.

Just think—you could have lost even more money or gotten seriously hurt. When you look at it that way, is it not such a relief that it ended here? And brother, when you return home, for the sake of your family’s peace, please never bring up the bar incident. Talking about it will only lead to hurt feelings and gossip. And from now on, it will be better if you avoid this street. You might face temptation again, and those barmaids could recognize you and cause trouble for you.”

As I finished speaking, he suddenly slapped his knee, as if struck by a great realization, and exclaimed, “Miss! You are absolutely right. I have never heard such good and wise words in my entire life! Now that I think about it, how could you have risked stepping into that terrifying situation to save me if you were not such a kind person? You are so young, yet you have such incredible wisdom. I am truly amazed.”

I said, “I am merely an unworthy sinner. Everything is because our good Lord loves you so much that He used me as His instrument to save you.” He responded, “Everything you say makes perfect sense. I will follow your advice. You must truly be an angel sent by God for me.” I humbly replied, “No, I am simply an unworthy instrument in God’s hands.”

Normally, whenever someone called me “Miss,” I would always correct them, saying, “I am a mother of four,” or “I am not a Miss.” But that day, I did not correct him although he called me a Miss several times. I thought to myself that since he promised not to walk down this road again, we would never meet again. Plus, if I brought up my story, the conversation would only drag on. I still had to open the parlor and take care of my family.

As I gave him a haircut, I offered it up as the Prayers of Life, asking the Lord to cut away all his bad habits so that he would never again fall into such temptations. I made sure to groom him neatly. He said, “Wow! You are really good at cutting hair. This is the best haircut I have ever had. If I could still walk down this road, I would come here regularly for a trim. But since I will not be coming this way anymore, it is such a shame.” I smiled and replied, “Brother, let us consider everything that has happened with Semchigo as if it never existed. From now on, may you resist temptation and start anew.”

He said, “Of course! Thank you so much, Miss!” with a lighthearted expression, as though he had completely forgotten the nightmare of the previous night. Only then did I realize that the pain from the beating I had received from the barmaids was starting to set in. I offered up that suffering for the conversion of the brother and the barmaids, and my soul felt an overwhelming joy. How could I not be thankful, knowing that through my sacrifice, one soul had been freed from danger and given the opportunity for a new life? As I looked at the bar, I prayed, “O Lord, have mercy on them,” for them to be freed from sin without a day’s delay.

At that moment, Jesus sighed deeply and spoke to me: “My beloved daughter, it is not only them—many of My children in this world are unable to escape the poisoned arrows of lust, and vile acts are being carried out as a result. No matter how much love I pour out, they resist My mercy and are moving closer to a goal that brings them to death. How could they possibly know that this path leads to hell? The devils are using them to build their own army in this way, so pray without ceasing to prevent even one more soul from being ensnared.”

I responded, “O my Lord, though I am powerless, I will fervently offer up sacrifices and dedicate Prayers of Life as penance. Amen.”

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

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