By Jiang Ning, China

A ray of warm light shone into the studio one late winter afternoon. Jiang Ning, Yi Chen, and Liu Fei were actively discussing their next innovative painting project. Though this work was quite difficult, they were full of faith, particularly Jiang Ning, who had a confident look on her face and thought, “I’ve got a good basis in painting and my grasp on composition and color theory is pretty good too. I’m also smart, a strong learner, and take new things on board quickly, and so long as I have more time to study and practice, I’m sure to master these skills and create works in this style.” The three of them then began looking up various materials to study, exchanging their findings with one another. Their supervisor often came to study with them too. After a while, Jiang Ning felt that she had come to grips with this new painting style. Yi Chen and Liu Fei also said that Jiang Ning was a strong learner, that the works she was producing were good, and that Jiang Ning should later share with them what she had learned and gained in her studies. Jiang Ning was delighted to hear their praise, and she thought, “My skills are stronger than my partnered sisters’, I’m often inspired when I discuss painting ideas with them, and I play a leading role in the team.” The more she thought like this, the more full of herself she became, and unconsciously, she began to do her duty with a sense of superiority.

One morning, Jiang Ning, Yi Chen, and Liu Fei were discussing the composition of a painting. After voicing her opinion, Jiang Ning listened carefully to the views of her sisters, but the more she listened, the deeper she frowned, and a look of disdain appeared on her face. She thought, “I’m a more gifted painter than the both of you. When studying new techniques, I learn them faster than you. Also, I have a better grasp of the principles. How could I misinterpret practical applications now? Why won’t you both just listen to my opinions?” Before Liu Fei could finish, Jiang Ning interrupted impatiently and asked pointedly, “You say there’s something wrong with the painting. Can you say what exactly? What is missing? How should it be amended? Don’t be so vague, I don’t understand what you’re getting at.” Stunned for a moment by Jiang Ning’s interruption, Liu Fei replied uneasily, “Right now I just have an idea, I haven’t considered the details yet—” Not waiting for Liu Fei to finish, Jiang Ning hastily restated her opinion, impatient for Liu Fei to accept her point of view. Yi Chen and Liu Fei were visibly uncomfortable, and the room fell silent. Seeing that the atmosphere had become tense, Jiang Ning felt a little guilty, “Was I being too overbearing and arrogant?” But then she thought, “It’s normal for there to be some conflict when discussing issues,” and she didn’t reflect on her problems. Later on, Jiang Ning learned from the supervisor that her views had been wrong, and the work had been impacted, but she still didn’t reflect on herself. She would often argue with her sisters on the matters relating to their duties, and the supervisor fellowshipped with them about harmonious collaboration and gave Jiang Ning advice regarding her arrogant disposition, but she didn’t take any of this to heart. She felt that although she revealed a somewhat arrogant disposition, she was able to play a role in her duty, and that since her opinions were usually correct, it was no big deal if she was a little arrogant. So whenever she disagreed with her sisters, Jiang Ning would almost never back down. She’d always just keep reiterating her opinions over and over again, trying to convince her two sisters to listen to her. In her heart, she clung to a single thought, “You’re both wrong, and only what I say aligns with principles.” Because of her attitude, her two sisters didn’t know how they should fellowship. At times when the three of them discussed a picture together, their discussions would often get stuck halfway, leading to a larger and larger backlog of work. Faced with this, Jiang Ning realized that she was being too arrogant, always insisting on her own views, and seriously delaying progress. She thought that she mustn’t be like this anymore. However, when the sisters made suggestions again, she continued to insist on her own views, and made modifications according to her own ideas, meaning more time had to be spent on further discussions later, which delayed progress. In the end, it was confirmed that the sisters’ suggestions were correct and that Jiang Ning was adhering to regulations. In this way, they were always working inefficiently, and their work progress couldn’t improve. Because Jiang Ning was so arrogant, always stubborn, and incapable of taking advice, her drawings often had lots of problems and had to be redone. Their supervisor specifically pointed out Jiang Ning’s problems, guiding her to reflect on why there were so many problems in the work, and whether this had anything to do with her arrogant disposition. But Jiang Ning just couldn’t accept this, and thought, “Who doesn’t make mistakes in their duties? I have a good understanding of principles and techniques, and these deviations were just momentary lapses. Next time, I’ll put more effort into improving my techniques and be more careful, and then I’ll avoid making these mistakes.” Xiao Yi heard that Jiang Ning was a skilled drawer and often wrote to her, asking for her guidance on his drawings. Jiang Ning felt that this was truly beneath her, thinking, “Many of your drawings don’t have much value, is my guidance really necessary? Also, there’s such a backlog of drawings right now, how am I supposed to find the time to guide you?” So she put Xiao Yi’s questions aside, and when the next few letters from him came through, she pretended she hadn’t seen them. Xiao Yi eventually stopped asking.

One morning, as it was drizzling outside, Jiang Ning drew a landscape with a frown on her face. Yi Chen and Liu Fei looked at one another, stood up, and sat beside Jiang Ning. Yi Chen said softly, “Jiang Ning, can we talk to you?” Jiang Ning was momentarily lost in thought, and then replied casually, “Yeah, sure.” Wearing a slightly serious expression, Yi Chen said, “Lately, in our duties together, we feel that you’ve been really overbearing, that you’ve been acting aloof, and when we discuss problems, if your opinion differs, you tend to ask questions back and interrogate others. It’s been really constraining being around you.” Hearing Yi Chen say this, Jiang Ning’s face darkened, and she hesitated before speaking. She acknowledged her arrogant disposition, but inwardly, she was unwilling to accept it. She thought, “I’ve been trying to turn things around lately. An arrogant disposition can’t be changed overnight. Just give me some time, okay?” The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She felt that Yi Chen and Liu Fei saw her corruption as something they could hold against her and that their remarks were clearly targeting her, but she also knew that she had to have some reason toward being pruned, so she restrained herself and answered through gritted teeth, “I’ll take what you’ve said on board,” and said nothing more. Worry and anxiety were visible in Yi Chen and Liu Fei’s eyes. The light rainfall outside showed no sign of stopping and the sisters’ brief exchange ended there.

From then on, to avoid being called arrogant by her sisters, Jiang Ning stopped expressing her opinions during discussions. When the other two asked for her views, she remained stubbornly silent, making the atmosphere really awkward. Some decisions regarding drawings were made in haste without thorough discussion, leading to drawings having to be reworked and modified later on. Yi Chen and Liu Fei both felt really constrained by their sister. A few days later, their supervisor came to meet with them and discovered that Jiang Ning had had no self-knowledge for such a long time, and that she was being unreasonable, setting herself against her sisters, disrupting and obstructing work. The supervisor dissected her behavior and dismissed her. Soon after, Jiang Ning learned that the brothers and sisters had reported her for chiding people and making people feel constrained. One sister even said, “Now that Jiang Ning’s been dismissed, we finally won’t have to be around her, and we can breathe easy again!” Hearing these things, Jiang Ning felt a heart-piercing pain, and it was only then that she realized how serious her problems were. She became aware that in doing her duty recently, she had been constraining and harming others. She felt like an evil person and was filled with a sense of imminent catastrophe. She thought, “I’m done for this time, I’ve committed great evil in my duty,” and she didn’t know how to get through this situation. Her eyes filled with tears, and she prayed to God, “Oh God, I have constrained and harmed my brothers and sisters because of my arrogant disposition, and I have obstructed the work. All I have left behind me are evil deeds! I am so deeply remorseful, and I regret not recognizing and resolving my arrogant disposition sooner. Oh God, I don’t know how to get through what I’m about to face. Please guide me.”

During her spiritual reflection, Jiang Ning remembered a passage of God’s words that she had read before: “Arrogance is the root of man’s corrupt disposition. The more arrogant people are, the more unreasonable they are, and the more unreasonable they are, the more liable they are to resist God. How serious is this problem? Not only do people with an arrogant disposition consider everyone else beneath them, but, worst of all, they are even condescending toward God, and they have no God-fearing hearts. Even though people might appear to believe in God and follow Him, they do not treat Him as God at all. They always feel that they possess the truth and think the world of themselves. This is the essence and root of the arrogant disposition, and it comes from Satan. Therefore, the problem of arrogance must be resolved. Feeling that one is better than others—that is a trivial matter. The critical issue is that one’s arrogant disposition prevents one from submitting to God, His sovereignty, and His arrangements; such a person always feels inclined to compete with God for power and control others. This sort of person does not have a God-fearing heart in the slightest, to say nothing of loving God or submitting to Him. People who are arrogant and conceited, especially those who are so arrogant as to have lost their reason, cannot submit to God in their belief in Him, and even exalt and bear testimony for themselves. Such people resist God the most and have absolutely no God-fearing hearts” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). Having read God’s words, she felt that her arrogant disposition was very serious. No matter how many mistakes or deviations she had made, she had never felt she had done anything wrong. She lacked any attitude of accepting or seeking the truth, and insisted that everyone should listen to and obey her. When she encountered differing opinions, she would arrogantly criticize her sisters, saying they were wrong about this or that thing, and then force them to listen to her. If she didn’t reach her goals, she would be hotheaded and interrogate her sisters in an aggressive tone. Sometimes, she would cut them off before they were done talking, using a pressing tone to refute them, making them feel really constrained. But she hadn’t had any self-knowledge. She’d felt that she was just sticking to her views or showing independent thought. Even when she was arguing with others, she thought she was just taking the principles seriously, not that she was being stubborn. Reflecting on this, she knew that if she really wanted to take the principles seriously, she wouldn’t be so set on the idea that she was always right. Instead, she would put aside her own views and consider whether others’ suggestions aligned with principles and benefited the work. This would be an attitude of seeking and accepting the truth. However, she’d never put aside her own views, and even though she’d outwardly discussed issues with the sisters she had already made up her mind that she was right. She’d lacked the humility to seek the whole time. She had been so stubborn. She felt deeply ashamed. She had been filled with corrupt dispositions, hadn’t understood the truth, and had lacked principles in her actions. Though she understood some technical things, she lacked much, and was limited in her thinking. She relied solely on her own mind and experiences, which meant she not only did her duty poorly, but she also caused many deviations, thereby harming the work. She needed to work harmoniously with others so they could make up for one another’s shortfalls. If she wasn’t clear on a principle or couldn’t reach an agreement, she should seek guidance from the supervisor, rather than force others to accept her suggestions. However, she had thought too highly of herself and that everything she said was correct, as if she herself were the source of truth principles. She finally came to realize how arrogant she had been, lacking the reason a person with normal humanity should have. She realized that in reality, the suggestions others had made had often been correct, perhaps enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit, and could help her realize her shortfalls and insufficiencies. However, she had been indifferent toward the suggestions of her sisters and had not recognized her corrupt disposition. She had even harmed those around her and obstructed the work of the church. She realized that all of this had been due to her arrogant nature, and that living by such an arrogant disposition had not only caused her to look down on others, but also on the truth and on God. If she didn’t resolve this arrogant disposition, it would be hard for her to accept the truth, fulfill her duty, and to relinquish herself and cooperate harmoniously with others. Jiang Ning finally felt just how dangerous it would be to leave this arrogant disposition unchanged!

Later on, Jiang Ning read the words of God: “Arranging for you to be a leader is merely elevating you and giving you a chance to practice. It’s not because you possess more reality than others or because you are better than others. In fact, you are the same as everyone else. None of you possess reality, and in some ways, you may even be more corrupt than others. So why would you unreasonably cause trouble, and arbitrarily lecture, berate and constrain others? Why force others to listen to you, even when you are wrong? What does this prove? This proves you are in the wrong position. You aren’t working from the position of a human, you are doing your work from God’s position, from a position above others. If what you say is correct and accords with the truth, others can listen to you. It is acceptable in this case. But when you are wrong, why do you force others to listen to you? Do you have authority? Are you supreme? Are you the truth? … They do whatever they want and demand that others do whatever they say. Aren’t they magnifying themselves? Aren’t they exalting themselves? Aren’t they arrogant and conceited people? In their duty, they follow their own preferences as much as possible without practicing the truth in the slightest. So, when they lead people, they do not ask those they lead to practice the truth. Instead, they demand that others listen to what they say and follow their ways. Is this not asking that people treat them like God and obey them as God? Do they possess the truth? They are devoid of the truth, filled with the disposition of Satan, and are demonic. So why do they still ask that people obey them? Is someone like this not magnifying themselves? Are they not exalting themselves? Can individuals such as this bring people before God? Can they make people worship God? They are the one they want people to obey. When they work like this, are they truly leading people in entering into truth realities? Are they really doing work entrusted to them by God? No, they are trying to establish their own kingdom. They want to be God, and they want people to treat them like God and obey them like God. Are they not antichrists? The way of antichrists has always been this way; regardless of the delay to the church’s work or the degree of obstruction or harm to the life entry of God’s chosen, everyone must obey them and listen to them. Is this not the nature of demons? Is this not the disposition of Satan? People like this are living demons in human skin. They may have human faces, but everything inside them is demonic. Everything they say and do is demonic. Nothing they do is in line with the truth, none of it is what people with reason do, so there can be no doubt that these are the actions of demons, Satan, and antichrists. You should be able to clearly discern this. So when you act, speak, and interact with others—in everything you do in life—you should hold this decree in your heart: ‘Man should not magnify himself, nor exalt himself. He should worship and exalt God.’ This way restraints are placed upon people, and they will not go so far as to offend God’s disposition. This administrative decree is crucial, and all of you should give good thought to what this administrative decree means, why God requires this of mankind, and what He means to achieve. Consider this carefully. Don’t let it simply go in one ear and out the other. This will be really beneficial for you” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. On God’s Administrative Decrees in the Age of Kingdom). God exposes that always forcing others to listen to and obey you, and trying to put others under your control is the exaltation of the self, it means you are walking the path of an antichrist, and it violates the administrative decrees and offends the disposition of God. Jiang Ning thought back on what she had revealed recently—always thinking that she understood technical things and that she had a good grasp on principles, that her views and suggestions were the most correct and that everyone else was below her. When her sisters put forward differing views, she’d give them no consideration and throw them aside, continually trying to convince others to listen to her. If she couldn’t persuade them, she’d just rely on her impetuousness to interrogate them, only letting up once they gave up on their own ideas. Jiang Ning recalled God’s demand: “Man should not magnify himself, nor exalt himself. He should worship and exalt God.” No matter the place or duty, we must honor God as great, seek His intentions in all things, and seek the truth principles, and especially when disagreements arise, it is even more important to set ourselves aside and adopt whoever’s viewpoint aligns with the truth. Only this is the behavior of a person with a God-fearing heart who honors God as great. However, Jiang Ning had been living by the poisons of Satan, being extremely conceited and considering herself to be the greatest and her opinions as the truth principles. Whenever she heard differing suggestions, no matter who put them forward or whether they aligned with the truth, so long as they differed from her own views, she would throw them aside and just try to make others obey her. Her arrogance had caused her to lose her reason. Jiang Ning thought about the CCP, and about how no matter what it did, it never allowed anyone to oppose it, and that as soon as a dissenting opinion emerged, it would use all kinds of means to crack down on it. She thought about how the disposition she had revealed in her actions was the same as the CCP’s and she was filled with fear.

One day, Jiang Ning read some of God’s words. They made her recognize her arrogant disposition even more clearly. Almighty God says: “Being arrogant and self-righteous is man’s most conspicuous satanic disposition, and if people do not accept the truth, they will have no way of cleansing it. People all have arrogant and self-righteous dispositions, and they are always conceited. No matter what they think, or what they say, or how they see things, they always think that their own points of view and their own attitudes are correct, and that what others say is not as good or as right as what they say. They always cling to their own opinions, and no matter who speaks, they will not listen to them. Even if what someone else says is correct, or in line with the truth, they will not accept it; they will only appear to be listening but they will not really adopt the idea, and when it comes time to act, they will still do things their own way, always thinking that what they say is right and reasonable. It is possible that what you say is, indeed, right and reasonable, or that what you have done is right and faultless, but what kind of disposition have you revealed? Is it not one of arrogance and self-righteousness? If you do not cast off this arrogant and self-righteous disposition, will it not affect your performance of your duty? Will it not affect your practice of the truth? If you do not resolve your arrogant and self-righteous disposition, will it not cause you serious setbacks in the future? You will definitely experience setbacks, this is inevitable. Tell Me, can God see such behavior of man? God is more than able to see it! God not only scrutinizes the depths of people’s hearts, He also observes their every word and deed at all times and places. What will God say when He sees this behavior of yours? God will say: ‘You are intransigent! It’s understandable that you might cling to your own ideas when you do not know that you are mistaken, but when you clearly know that you are mistaken and you still cling to your ideas, and would die before repenting, you are just a stubborn fool, and you are in trouble. If, no matter who makes a suggestion, you always adopt a negative, resistant attitude toward it, and do not accept even a little bit of the truth, and if your heart is completely resistant, closed, and dismissive, then you are so ridiculous, you are an absurd person! You are too difficult to deal with!’ In what way are you difficult to deal with? You are difficult to deal with because what you are displaying is not an erroneous approach, or an erroneous behavior, but a revelation of your disposition. A revelation of what disposition? A disposition in which you are averse to the truth, and hate the truth” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Often Living Before God Can One Have a Normal Relationship With Him). “If your attitude is to stubbornly insist, to deny the truth, to reject anyone else’s suggestions, to not seek the truth, to only have faith in yourself, and to only do as you want—if this is your attitude regardless of what God does or asks, then what is God’s reaction? God pays you no heed, He sidelines you. Are you not willful? Are you not arrogant? Do you not always think you’re right? If you are devoid of submission, if you never seek, if your heart is utterly closed and resistant to God, then God pays you no heed. Why does God pay you no heed? Because if your heart is closed to God, can you accept God’s enlightenment? Can you feel it when God reproaches you? When people are intransigent, when their satanic nature and beastliness burst forth, they don’t feel anything God does, it is all to no avail—so God does not do useless work. If you have this kind of stubbornly antagonistic attitude, all that God does is to remain hidden from you, God will not do superfluous things” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). Having read these two passages of God’s words, Jiang Ning realized that she had been really stubborn and completely unwilling to accept others’ suggestions, and that she had revealed a satanic disposition that was averse to the truth and which incurred God’s disgust and hatred. Now she understood that she should have accepted the differing suggestions of her sisters first and then sought truth principles alongside them. Perhaps she could have found her own shortcomings, reduced the deviations in her work, and maybe in the end, her viewpoints might have been proven right. However, throughout this process, the crucial point was to maintain an attitude of accepting the truth, which is also what God values. Additionally, reaching consensuses through seeking principles is also beneficial to work. Jiang Ning came to understand that every time her sisters had differing views or opinions, this contained God’s intention, which prompted her to seek the truth principles, that when her sisters voiced different opinions it was for the purpose of discussing and seeking together, to minimize deviations as much as possible, and that this was done to safeguard the work of the church. She understood that she should accept and obey these things. But she had never taken her sisters’ reminders to heart, and even when they had different views, she just thought that they lacked understanding of principles or techniques, and would force them to accept her own viewpoint. This had not only made her sisters feel constrained, but it had also harmed the work greatly. Though outwardly it seemed like Jiang Ning was not accepting others’ suggestions and arguing with them, in reality, she was revealing a disposition of being averse to the truth, and a hostility and resistance toward positive things. Jiang Ning realized that this attitude toward the truth was despised by God, that she could not gain the work of the Holy Spirit by doing her duty this way, and that she couldn’t even understand her own state. She had, to a degree, become numb. If it weren’t for her dismissal, she still wouldn’t have awakened and would be unable to seek the truth and resolve her arrogant disposition. Realizing these things, Jiang Ning was filled with gratitude for God for saving her in time.

Later, Jiang Ning reflected on why she had always been so arrogant. One day, she read a passage of God’s words: “No matter how educated you are, what awards you have won, or what you have achieved, and no matter how high your status and rank might be, you must let go of all of these things, you must get off your high horse—this all counts for nothing. In God’s house, however great these glories are, they cannot be higher than the truth, for these superficial things are not the truth, and cannot take its place. You must be clear about this issue. If you say, ‘I am very gifted, I have a very sharp mind, I have quick reflexes, I am a quick learner, and I have an exceedingly good memory, so I am qualified to make the final decision,’ if you always use these things as capital, and see them as precious, and as positive, then this is trouble. If your heart is occupied by these things, if they have taken root in your heart, it will be hard for you to accept the truth—and the consequences of that don’t bear thinking about. Thus, you must first put down and deny those things that you love, that seem nice, that are precious to you. Those things are not the truth; rather, they can block you from entering the truth” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. What Is the Adequate Performance of Duty?). Jiang Ning saw that God says that no matter how many gifts a person has, they are not the truth and cannot replace it. A person cannot do their duties properly if they just rely on their gifts and don’t seek the truth. If one places too much importance on their gifts, this can actually hinder their seeking and acceptance of the truth. Jiang Ning had found the source of her problems to be the excessive importance she placed on intelligence, gifts and technical skills. Every time she encountered a new duty, she came to grips with the professional and technical aspects quickly and she thought herself to be smart and better than others, and it was from this that she derived her sense of superiority in her duty. Like when she and her sisters tried a new painting style; at first, they’d all found it difficult, but Jiang Ning had quickly mastered it and went on to create a number of works, instilling in her a sense of superiority over her sisters and causing her to look down on them throughout their collaboration and to feel as if their views and suggestions had no value, making her completely unwilling to collaborate with them. This failure made Jiang Ning realize that her keen intellect could only help her to learn a professional or technical skill better and more quickly, but that in the house of God, every duty involves the truth and testifying for God. Being able to do one’s duty well does not depend on whether one has a keen mind or gifts, nor does it depend on professional or technical skills. The crucial thing is whether a person can seek the truth principles, and act in accordance with God’s intentions and requirements. These things are the most important. Jiang Ning thought back to when she first started learning new skills. She knew she understood very little, so in her duty she had a heart that was humble and sought. She had been able to accept and seek out the views of others, and in the process, she had been able to gain the work of the Holy Spirit, and her duty had gained some results. But later on, thinking she had learned everything, she became more and more arrogant and looked down on everyone. This attitude of hers disgusted God and she was unable to gain the work of the Holy Spirit. She also had many deviations in her duty. She finally realized that whether a person can do a duty well has little relation to their intelligence and gifts, and that gifts are just a tool for people to do their duties. Even if a person possesses no gifts, if they can focus on seeking the truth and working harmoniously with others, their duty will yield some results. Jiang Ning had always looked down on the two sisters she had worked with, but now she saw that although they didn’t have great gifts, they were both able to seek the truth principles based on the suggestions of others. This attitude of accepting and seeking the truth was far better than her own attitude. She finally saw clearly that in order to fulfill a duty well, the most important thing is to seek and accept the truth, have a God-fearing heart and be devoid of stubbornness.

Jiang Ning sought further on how exactly she should cooperate harmoniously with others in her duty. She read a passage of God’s words: “When something befalls you, you must not be self-righteous. You must quiet yourself before God and learn a lesson. You must be able to let go of yourself in order to learn more. If you think, ‘I’m more of an expert at this than you, so I should be in charge, and you should all listen to me!’—what kind of disposition is that? It is arrogance and self-righteousness. It is a satanic, corrupt disposition and it is not something within the realm of normal humanity. … What, then, is the right way to behave and act? How can you behave and act in accordance with the truth principles? You must put your ideas out on the table and let everyone see if there are any problems with them. If someone makes a suggestion, you must first accept it, and then let everyone confirm the correct path of practice. If nobody has any issues with it, you can then determine the most appropriate way of doing things and act in that way. If a problem is discovered, then you must solicit everyone’s opinions, and you should all seek the truth and fellowship on it together, and in that way, you will gain the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. When your hearts are illuminated, and you have a better path, the results that you achieve will be better than before. Is this not the guidance of God? It is a marvelous thing! If you can avoid being self-righteous, if you can let go of your imaginings and ideas, and if you can listen to others’ correct opinions, you will be able to obtain the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Your heart will be illuminated and you will be able to find the correct path. You will have a way forward, and when you put it into practice, it will definitely be in accordance with the truth. Through such practice and experience you will learn how to practice the truth, and at the same time you will learn something new about that area of work. Is this not a good thing? Through this you will realize that when things happen to you, you must not be self-righteous and you must seek the truth, and that if you are self-righteous and do not accept the truth, everyone will dislike you and God will certainly loathe you. Is this not a lesson learned? If you always pursue in this way and practice the truth, you will keep honing the professional skills that you use in your duty, you will get better and better results in your duty, and God will enlighten and bless you, and allow you to gain even more. In addition to that, you will have a path for practicing the truth, and when you know how to practice the truth, you will gradually grasp the principles. When you know which actions will lead to God’s enlightenment and guidance, which will lead to His loathing and dismissal, and which will lead to His approval and blessings, you will have a way forward” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Often Living Before God Can One Have a Normal Relationship With Him). From God’s words, she came to understand the principles of harmonious cooperation. In one’s duty, if others put forward differing suggestions, no matter whether they understand professional matters or not, one must have an attitude of accepting and seeking the truth, and start by accepting their suggestions without following them blindly, and then one must look at what the principles say and use the truth principles to decide the course. Later on, Jiang Ning was lucky enough to return to her design duty. She was so grateful to God and wanted to work in harmony with the others this time.

One day, Xiao Yu checked her drawing and pointed out several issues in her composition. Hearing this, Jiang Ning felt that her sister had not understood her intentions, and she had also consulted some good works, so her composition should be suitable. The more she thought about this, the more she felt that Xiao Yu was being too picky and regulation-conscious, so she reiterated her idea once again. But after she said this, Xiao Yu said, “I understand your idea, but I really think there are some problems with this composition. You can consider whether there is a more suitable solution.” Hearing Xiao Yu say this, Jiang Ning suddenly realized that she was emphasizing her point of view over and over again just to prove herself right to her sister. She didn’t seriously consider her sister’s suggestion and just thought that she was right. Wasn’t she still just being stubborn and not accepting the suggestions of others at all? Jiang Ning felt a little remorseful and realized that she was revealing a corrupt disposition again. She thought about the principle of practice that when faced with differing opinions she must first set herself aside, carefully consider whether others’ views are correct, and whether they align with principles. When she settled down to consider things, she found that there were indeed some issues in her composition. Afterward, Jiang Ning sought her supervisor out about the parts she was unsure about, her supervisor fellowshipped the relevant principles to her, and she gained a clearer path by which to perform her revisions. After this, she felt very glad. It was a good thing she wasn’t stubborn this time, as this would have brought about deviations. This made her realize just how important an attitude of accepting the truth is in the performance of one’s duty, and that no matter how correct or sure one feels, when others have different opinions, one must first put one’s own views aside, consider things, and seek. This is because it is very likely that God is using others as a guide to reveal one’s problems. Jiang Ning found that an attitude of accepting the truth can help one avoid lots of deviations. Going forward in her duty, Jiang Ning consciously accepted others’ suggestions, and she felt that she gained a lot and that she was able to cooperate harmoniously with her brothers and sisters. Her heart was filled with gratitude for God!