By Han Xi, China

In March 2021, I was working in the church as a graphic designer. Because I was arrogant in my duty and couldn’t work harmoniously with others, I disrupted the work, and was dismissed. Two months later, a supervisor arranged for me to continue producing images. I was so moved, and at the same time, a little uneasy. After I went back, if my arrogant disposition was disruptive again, wouldn’t I be completely revealed and cast out? If that happened, wouldn’t I be done for? So I told myself: “After I go back, I have to be careful about how I treat everything. I can’t do things based on my arrogant disposition again.”

When I first started, the sisters saw that I had graphics experience, and would often come to me when they had problems, and I’d do my best to provide solutions. But if I said too much, I would suddenly think: “By talking so much, am I showing off? What if I say something wrong? A sister once told me that when I was a group leader, I relied on my extensive experience, and often guided other people’s work based on my experience rather than seeking principles. That caused some images to be sent back and forth to be redone, which delayed progress. This time, if I mislead a sister and disrupt the work, when the supervisor finds out, will she dismiss me? Forget it. I’ll just say less to avoid saying something wrong, and having to take responsibility.” One time we were discussing the design concept for an image. After looking it over, I felt that the composition concept didn’t make sense. But I hesitated, and thought: “If the concept has problems, that is a major issue, and the whole image will have to be redesigned and adjusted. Should I speak up? If I don’t say anything, and there’s a real problem, the image will have to be redone later. But we’ve already discussed this image for two days. If I say there’s a problem now, what will the sisters think of me? Will they say I’m just drawing attention to myself and causing trouble? What if my idea is incorrect? Won’t that delay work progress? If the supervisor finds out, will she say I haven’t repented?” At the time, I hesitated, and didn’t dare say anything. A few days later, we finished designing the drawing proposal, but when the supervisor saw it, she said the concept had problems, so it had to be redesigned. When I saw that result, my heart skipped a beat and I thought, “If I had raised this issue at the time, everyone could have fellowshiped and cleared it up, and we wouldn’t have to waste time.” I was filled with regret, but then I thought: “I wasn’t completely sure that my idea was right back then, maybe it’s not so bad that I didn’t speak up?” So that was it. I didn’t think about or reflect on it, and just let it slide.

Later, whenever the group discussed problems and called for us to express views, I became extremely cautious, and afraid that my views would be different from everyone else, and I would be misperceived as arrogant and unwilling to accept other people’s ideas. So every time I made a suggestion, I would add: “That’s just my personal view, maybe I’m wrong. You should check for yourselves.” Sometimes sisters would make suggestions about images I was designing, and I clearly knew that some suggestions were not in line with principles. But I worried that if I didn’t accept their suggestions, they would say I was arrogant or clung to my own opinion. So I reluctantly accepted their suggestions, thinking that if there was a mistake, I wouldn’t be responsible. As a result, after making changes, some suggestions were indeed unsuitable and the images had to be redone, delaying progress. That was the situation. So every day I cringed while doing my duty, and felt physically and emotionally exhausted. But to make the supervisor and the sisters see that I had changed, I still thought I had better be careful. So after that, I always did my duty that way. But the group’s graphic images always had problems, and we had to redo them over and over. Our work effectiveness clearly declined before my numbed heart finally realized that maybe my state was incorrect, and I needed to self-reflect. So I prayed to God, and asked Him to enlighten me so I could understand my own problems.

At one gathering, I read a passage of God’s word, and gained some understanding of my state, Almighty God says, “As leaders and workers, when problems occur as you perform your duty, you are liable to ignore them, and may even look for various pretexts and excuses to avoid responsibility. There are some problems that you are capable of solving, but don’t, and the problems you are incapable of solving you do not report to your superiors, as if they have nothing to do with you. Is this not a dereliction of your duty? Is treating the work of the church thus a clever thing to do, or a foolish thing to do? (Foolish.) Are such leaders and workers not snakes? Are they not devoid of any sense of responsibility? When they ignore problems in front of them, does this not show they are heartless and treacherous? Treacherous people are the most foolish people of all. You must be an honest person, you must have a sense of responsibility when you face problems, and you must find ways to seek the truth to resolve problems. Do not be a treacherous person. If you shirk responsibility and wash your hands of it when problems arise, even unbelievers will condemn you. Do you imagine God’s house will not? God’s chosen people despise and reject such behavior. God loves honest people, but hates deceitful and cunning people. If you act as a treacherous person and attempt to play tricks, will God not hate you? Will God’s house simply let you off the hook? Sooner or later, you will be held accountable. God likes honest people and dislikes treacherous people. Everyone should understand this clearly, and stop being confused and doing foolish things. Momentary ignorance is understandable, but refusing to accept the truth at all is a stubborn refusal to change” (The Word, Vol. 5. The Responsibilities of Leaders and Workers). God’s word revealed that those who are irresponsible in their work and wash their hands of responsibility when problems arise, are especially treacherous. By reflecting on God’s word, I saw that my state was also like that. I was irresponsible and disloyal in my duty, and whenever a problem involved taking responsibility, or my prospects and final destination, I would cringe, and use treacherous means. When I saw problems, I said nothing, or made excuses, or said something ambiguous. After returning to do graphics, I was afraid the brothers and sisters would say my arrogant disposition hadn’t changed. I was afraid my corrupt disposition would cause disruptions again, and I would be dismissed. So I was very careful about everything I did and said, and always put up a false front. When the sisters asked me questions, I was afraid to say something wrong and be held responsible, so I chose to make excuses to decline. Whenever the group discussed problems, and differences came up, I’d mostly remain silent, and just go with the flow. I could clearly see there were problems, but because I was afraid people would say I was arrogant and trying to draw attention to myself, I would rather the work had to be redone because it had problems than I expressed my views. I didn’t even have the courage to discuss things with everyone. I was so selfish. When the sisters gave suggestions on images I was working on, I knew that some suggestions were not in line with principles, but I was afraid others would say I was arrogant, so I just pretended to agree and always went along. I didn’t even care about mistakes and redoing the work, as long as I didn’t have to take responsibility. Whatever I did, I only considered my own interests, and was afraid to take any responsibility. I was so deceitful! God looks into people’s hearts, and since I was so selfish, deceitful, and irresponsible in my duty, how could I possibly gain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and guidance? No wonder I became less and less effective in my duty. That was God’s revelation of me.

At that time, I remembered a passage from God’s words. Almighty God says, “If people love the truth, they will have the strength to pursue the truth, and can work hard practicing the truth. They can abandon that which should be abandoned, and let go of that which should be let go of. In particular, things that pertain to your own fame, gain, and status should be let go of. If you do not let them go, it means you do not love the truth and do not have the strength to pursue the truth. When things happen to you, you must seek the truth. If, at those times when you need to practice the truth, you always have a selfish heart and cannot let go of your own self-interest, you will be unable to put the truth into practice. If you never seek or practice the truth in any circumstance, you are not a person who loves the truth. No matter how many years you have believed in God, you will not obtain the truth. Some people are always pursuing fame, gain, and self-interest. Whatever work the church arranges for them, they always deliberate, thinking, ‘Will this benefit me? If it will, I’ll do it; if it won’t, then I won’t.’ A person like this does not practice the truth—so can they perform their duty well? They most certainly cannot. Even if you do not do evil, you are still not a person who practices the truth. If you do not pursue the truth, do not love positive things, and whatever befalls you, you only care about your own reputation and status, your own self-interest, and what is good for you, then you are a person who is only driven by self-interest, and you are selfish and base. A person like this believes in God in order to gain something good or of benefit for them, not to obtain the truth or God’s salvation. Therefore, people of this sort are nonbelievers. People who truly believe in God are those who can seek and practice the truth, as they recognize in their hearts that Christ is the truth, and that they should listen to God’s words and believe in God as He demands. If you wish to practice the truth when something happens to you, but consider your own reputation, status, and face, doing so will be difficult. In a situation such as this, through prayer, seeking, and reflecting on themselves and becoming self-aware, those who love the truth will be able to let go of what is in their own self-interest or good for them, practice the truth, and obey God. Such people are those who truly believe in God and love the truth. And what is the consequence when people always think of their own self-interest, when they are always trying to protect their own pride and vanity, when they betray a corrupt disposition yet do not seek the truth to fix it? It is that they have no entry into life, it is that they lack true experiences and testimony. And this is dangerous, is it not? If you never practice the truth, if you lack any experiences and testimony, then in due course you will be exposed and cast out. What use do people without experiences and testimony have in the house of God? They are bound to do any duty poorly; they can’t do anything properly. Are they not just garbage? If people never practice the truth after years of believing in God, they are one of the nonbelievers, they are evil. If you never practice the truth, if your transgressions grow ever more numerous, then your end is set. It is clear to see that all your transgressions, the mistaken path you walk, and your refusal to repent—all of this combines into a multitude of evil deeds; and so your end is that you will go to hell, you will be punished” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. What Is Most Important in Believing in God Is Putting the Truth Into Practice). After reading God’s word, I was deeply stirred. Before, I had thought that not expressing my views and just going with the flow was no big deal. But after reading God’s word I understood that only thinking of yourself and always having selfish motives when facing problems, always protecting yourself when there is a conflict between your interests and the church’s, and preferring that the work suffer rather than practice the truth is truly evil! I thought of all the time and effort spent on each image, from design through drawing, but when I saw problems, I said nothing, which led to rework and seriously delayed progress. Was that not disruptive? My evil deeds were piling up, and if I didn’t repent, I would be ruined. When I understood that, I got scared, and realized that when facing issues, it’s so important to forsake yourself and practice the truth!

I later read a passage of God’s word: “If you were to say, ‘Antichrists are single-minded and headstrong. I’m afraid of becoming an antichrist and I don’t want to follow the way of an antichrist. So, I’ll wait until everyone has expressed their opinions, then I’ll summarize it, finding a way to formulate a conclusion that takes the middle road.’ Is this alright? (No.) Why isn’t it alright? If the result does not adhere to the principles of truth, even if you do it, will it be effective? Will God be satisfied by it? If it isn’t effective and God isn’t satisfied, then the problem will be severe. If you do not do things in accordance with the principles of truth, are sloppy and irresponsible in your duty, and do things according to satanic philosophies, then you are being disloyal to God, and are cheating God! In order to avoid people suspecting and pegging you as an antichrist, you aren’t even able to fulfill the responsibilities you are supposed to fulfill; you use the satanic philosophy of ‘finding middle ground.’ As a result, you have harmed God’s chosen people and affected the church’s work. Isn’t this unprincipled? Isn’t it selfish and base? You are leaders and workers; you must be principled in what you do. Everything you do must be effective and efficient. Do whatever is beneficial to the house of God, and do whatever is in accordance with the principles of truth” (The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Six). From God’s word, I understood that He does not want us to be constantly passive and wary because we fear being exposed and cast out. Instead, He wants us to be responsible in our duties and seek the principles of the truth in all we do. Acting like this benefits the church’s work, and is the only way to fulfill one’s responsibility. As for me, when I returned to work as a designer, I made a solemn pledge to do my duty well, but when it came time to take responsibility, I was overly cautious. To keep others from calling me arrogant and conceited, I said nothing when I saw problems, and I didn’t even fulfill my own responsibilities, bringing losses upon the church’s work. Wasn’t I trying to fool and deceive God? I also understood that it’s normal to have different views when issues come up, and that as long as my intention is to consider what’s best for the church’s work, seek the truth, and do my duty according to principles, then I should bring up my views for discussion. That is being serious and responsible in one’s duty, not attracting attention or causing disruptions. Even if I really do something wrong because of my arrogant disposition, as long as I have the courage to admit it, accept the others’ fellowship and corrections, and change, the church won’t dismiss or expel me based on a momentarily expressed corruption. After I understood these things, if I discovered things that violated principles when doing my duty, I would actively bring them up and discuss them with everyone. By practicing that way, there were fewer and fewer deviations in the work. One time, we were discussing an image design concept, and I discovered that the source material and theme didn’t match well, and the theme was not very clear. I thought, “This could be a serious problem, and if it really is, then the whole image design proposal won’t work.” I was filled with hesitation, “What would the sisters think of me if I said something wrong? Forget it, I still don’t want to take the risk.” But I also worried, “If there is really a principle-related problem, we’ll have to spend time modifying it. Won’t that delay the work?” At this thought, I put forward my point of view. After some discussion, the sisters agreed with my view. We then sent the supervisor suggestions about modifying the image. After seeing our suggestions, the supervisor said the original overall design concept was still workable, and only needed a few adjustments to the source materials. When I heard that, my heart was pounding: “Could my view be a problem again? What will the supervisor think of me? Will she say that even after being dismissed, I’m still arrogant and self-righteous, and haven’t changed?” I silently prayed to God, saying that I was willing to face my problems honestly. So I took the initiative to talk to the supervisor and open up about my ideas, and seek the principles about these issues. The supervisor gave us detailed fellowship. After hearing that, my heart brightened and I understood my deviations. I saw that the supervisor didn’t deal with me. Instead, she patiently fellowshiped with us. I felt a little sad: I always kept up my guard with the brothers and sisters, and was wary of God’s house, afraid of being dismissed and cast out for revealing corruption, when actually, God’s house treats people based on the principle of truth, and doesn’t deal with or dismiss people as soon as they make a mistake. If you cause deviations in work just because you don’t understand principles, and after fellowship you can admit and correct your mistake, you won’t be dismissed or cast out. If you’re arrogant and self-righteous, insist on your own point of view to protect your reputation and status, don’t seek the principles of the truth, and harm the work, only then will you be pruned and dealt with. And if the situation is serious, you will be dismissed or cast out. I thought back to when I was dismissed. I relied on the fact that I worked in graphics for a long time and had a lot of experience. When discussing problems with others, I was arrogant, and stubbornly clung to my own opinions. I neither accepted different opinions nor did I seek. That caused some images to be sent back and reworked, or even scrapped. But when faced with failure and being exposed, I didn’t seek out the truth to resolve my corrupt disposition. Instead, I was always misunderstanding and wary. I didn’t attend to my duties or pursue the truth! Later, I also thought about how I should resolve being overcautious, misunderstanding, and wary. I read God’s word. “Some people follow their own will when they act. They violate the principles, and after being pruned and dealt with, they admit in mere word that they are arrogant, and that they made a mistake only because they do not have the truth. But in their hearts, they still complain, ‘No one else sticks their neck out, just me—and in the end, when something goes wrong, they push all the responsibility onto me. Isn’t this stupid of me? I can’t do the same thing next time, sticking my neck out like that. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down!’ What do you think of this attitude? Is it an attitude of repentance? (No.) What attitude is it? Haven’t they become slippery and deceitful? In their hearts they think, ‘I’m lucky this time it didn’t turn into a disaster. A fall in the pit, a gain in your wit, so to speak. I have to be more careful in the future.’ They do not seek the truth, using their pettiness and cunning schemes to attend to and handle the matter. Can they gain the truth in this way? They cannot, because they have not repented. The first thing to be done when repenting is to recognize what you have done wrong: to see where your mistake was, the essence of the problem, and the disposition you have revealed; you must reflect on these things and accept the truth, then practice according to the truth. Only this is an attitude of repentance. If, on the other hand, you consider cunning ways exhaustively, you become more slippery than before, your techniques are cleverer and more concealed, and you have more methods to deal with things, then the problem is not quite as simple as just being deceitful. You are using underhanded means and you have secrets you cannot divulge. This is evil. Not only have you not repented, but you have become more slippery and deceitful. God sees that you are overly intransigent and evil, one who admits on the surface that they were wrong, and accepts being dealt with and pruned, yet in reality, does not have a repentant attitude in the slightest. Why do we say this? Because while this event was happening or in its aftermath, you did not seek the truth, and you did not practice according to the truth. Your attitude is one of using Satan’s philosophies, logic, and methods to resolve the problem. In reality, you are sidestepping the problem, and wrapping it up in a neat package so others see no trace of it, letting nothing slip. In the end, you feel you are quite smart. These are the things God sees, rather than your having truly reflected, confessed, and repented of your sin in the face of the matter that has befallen you, then going on to seek the truth and practicing according to the truth. Your attitude is not one of seeking the truth or of practicing the truth, nor is it one of submission to God’s sovereignty and arrangements, but one of using Satan’s techniques and methods to resolve your problem. You give others a false impression and resist being exposed by God, and you are defensive and confrontational regarding the circumstances that God has orchestrated for you. Your heart is more closed than before and separated from God. As such, can any good result come from it? Can you still live in the light, enjoying peace and joy? You cannot. If you shun the truth and shun God, you will certainly fall into the darkness and weep and gnash your teeth. Is such a state prevalent in people? (Yes.) Some people frequently admonish themselves, saying, ‘I was dealt with this time. Next time, I’ve got to be smarter and more careful. Being smart is the foundation of life—and people who aren’t smart are dummies.’ If you are always guiding and admonishing yourself so, will you ever get anywhere? Will you be able to gain the truth? If an issue befalls you, you must seek and understand an aspect of the truth, and gain that aspect of the truth. What can be achieved by understanding the truth? When you understand an aspect of the truth, you understand an aspect of God’s will; you understand why God did this thing to you, why He would make such a demand of you, why He would orchestrate circumstances to chasten and discipline you so, why He would use this matter to prune and deal with you, and why you have fallen down, failed, and been exposed in this matter. If you understand these things, you will be able to pursue the truth and will achieve life entry. If you do not understand these things and do not accept these facts, but insist on opposing and resisting them, on using your own techniques to disguise yourself, and on facing all others and God with a false countenance, then you will be forever unable to gain the truth” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only by Pursuing the Truth Can One Resolve Their Notions and Misunderstandings of God). God’s word is so clear. The best path to resolve being misunderstanding and wary is to seek to understand the truths in relevant matters. When faced with failure and setbacks, if you don’t seek the truth to resolve your problems, and instead think of ways to put up a false front, and handle them based on your pettiness and devious ways, that is not only deceitful, but is also a kind of evil disposition. That kind of person will never gain the truth. I remember when I was dismissed, the leader exposed my arrogance, self-righteousness, and my refusal to listen to others’ opinions. At the time, I acknowledged and accepted this, but afterward, I didn’t seek the truth to resolve my corrupt disposition. This time when I returned to do graphics work, I was afraid to be dismissed and cast out because I disrupted church work by being arrogant again, so I adopted Satan’s philosophies like “Protect yourself, seek only to escape blame,” and “It’s better to be safe than sorry” to protect myself. I rarely expressed my views or proposed different suggestions, and I never said anything first whenever anything came up. I became more deceitful than before. I saw that a design proposal had problems, but I said nothing. I knew that some of the sisters’ suggestions didn’t align with principles, but I kept quiet. From the outside, I appeared obedient, but I hadn’t truly repented. I was only pretending that I could submit, and that I had changed. Was I not deceiving my brothers and sisters, as well as God? Only then did I see that not only had I not repented after being dismissed, but instead, I was constantly being calculating and deceitful, thinking of ways to protect myself, and conceal my corrupt disposition. I became even more cunning than before. My disposition was evil. I thought I was smart, and wanted to use human trickery to avoid revealing my corruption. But through experience, I came to see that people’s corrupt dispositions cannot be overcome by human effort, nor can they be resolved by relying on satanic philosophies and putting up a facade. Only through God’s judgment and chastisement, and by being pruned and dealt with, can one achieve a bit of change. God allows us to reveal our corruption, and He knows that we have failures in our duties, but He doesn’t want us to conceal ourselves or put up a front when we have problems. Instead, He wants us to be simple and open, and face our failures correctly, and truly repent and change. After realizing God’s will, I was no longer passive or misunderstanding, and willing to practice the truth and repent to God. Later, I read a passage of God’s word, and came to understand the path of practice. Almighty God says, “How, then, do you resolve your arbitrariness and rashness? Say, for example, something happens to you and you have your own ideas and plans; before determining what to do, you must seek the truth and you should at least fellowship with everyone about what you think and believe about this, asking everyone to tell you if your thoughts and plans are correct and in line with the truth, asking that everyone make final checks for you. This is the best method of solving arbitrariness and rashness. First, you can shed light on your view and seek the truth; this is the first step you put into practice in order to solve arbitrariness and rashness. The second step happens when other people voice dissenting opinions—what practice can you put in place to keep from being arbitrary and rash? You must first have an attitude of humility, set aside what you believe to be right, and let everyone have fellowship. Even if you believe your way to be correct, you should not keep insisting on it. That is a kind of step forward; it shows an attitude of seeking the truth, of denying yourself, and of satisfying God’s will. Once you have this attitude, at the same time that you do not adhere to your own opinion, you should pray, seek the truth from God, and then look for a basis in God’s words—determine how to act on the basis of God’s words. This is the most suitable and accurate practice” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). After reading God’s word, I understood that when you have ideas and viewpoints during a discussion, you must have a heart that seeks. Expressing views is not about forcing others to go along with you. Instead, it’s about bringing up views for everyone to talk over and discuss, and seek the principles of the truth together. This is the only sensible approach. This is behavior that protects the church’s work. If you do things based on your arrogant disposition, it’s easy to become willful and force others to listen to you, with no fear of God or obedience to Him whatsoever. Later, when discussing concepts with the brothers and sisters, I openly fellowshiped about whatever views and ideas I had, and even if I thought my idea was right, I wouldn’t blindly stick to it. When I ran into different suggestions, I would pray and seek. I’d humbly accept when someone said something that was in line with principles. But if it wasn’t, I would stand my ground, and fellowship and discuss it with them. This is the only way to do one’s duty after God’s heart.

I went on to read more of God’s word, which further clarified how to resolve being deceitful and wary. Almighty God says, “I take pleasure in those who are not suspicious of others, and I like those who readily accept the truth; toward these two kinds of people I show great care, for in My eyes they are honest people” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. How to Know the God on Earth). “What are the expressions of an honest person? First is to have no doubts about God’s words. This is one of the expressions of an honest person. The most important expression of an honest person, furthermore, is to seek and practice the truth in all matters; this is most critical of all. If you say you are honest, but you always put God’s words to the back of your mind and do whatever you want, then is this an expression of an honest person? You say, ‘My caliber is low, but I am honest at heart.’ When a duty falls to you, however, you are afraid of suffering or that if you do not fulfill it well, you will have to bear the responsibility, so you make excuses to shirk it and recommend others to do it. Is this an expression of an honest person? It clearly is not. How, then, should an honest person behave? They should accept and obey, and then be utterly devoted in doing their duties to the best of their ability, striving to meet God’s will. This is expressed in several ways. One way is that you should accept your duty with honesty, not think about your fleshly interests, and not be half-hearted about it. Do not plot for your own benefit. This is an expression of honesty. Another way is performing your duty with all your heart and all your strength, doing things properly, putting your heart and your love into performing your duty in order to satisfy God. This is what should be expressed when honest people perform their duty. If you do not carry out what you know and have understood, if you only give 50 or 60 percent of your best effort, then you are not putting all your heart and all your strength in, you are looking for ways to slack off. Are people who are slippery while performing their duty honest? Absolutely not. God has no use for such slippery and deceitful people; they must be cast out. God only uses honest people to perform a duty. Even loyal service-doers must be honest. People who are perennially careless and perfunctory, who are always looking for ways to slack off—these people are all deceitful, they are all demons, none of them truly believe in God, and they shall all be cast out” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). Thinking over God’s word, I realized that God’s disposition is holy and righteous. God loves honest people. Toward God, honest people have a sincere heart, toward other people and God, they are neither wary nor suspicious, and they can accept God’s scrutiny in all things. They are not slippery or deceptive in their duties, and they spare no effort to do what they should do. Even when they need to take responsibility, they can put aside their own interests, uphold principles, and do their duty well to satisfy God’s will. Only people who do their duty this way can gain God’s approval, and only this kind of person is truly wise! But to protect my own interests, I kept silent when I found problems, which detracted from the work. Although it didn’t look like I was directly responsible, it was actually the result of my not practicing the truth. I also didn’t understand many principles of the truth, and could only see one side of a problem, so it was inevitable that there’d be deviations in my suggestions. But an honest person treats their own corruption and shortcomings correctly, accepts the truth as well as the fellowship and corrections of others, and can sum up their deviations and grasp the key principles. If their mistakes really detract from the work, they can bravely admit it and change. After realizing these things, my heart felt a bit brighter, and I felt clearer about the principles I should practice in my duty.

Later, when I discussed problems with the sisters again, I would pray to God, adjust my intentions, and practice according to the principles of the truth. One time, I was discussing an image design concept with three other sisters, and all three said the design was not feasible, but I had the exact opposite view. I thought to myself: “All three of them have the same view. If I express a different opinion, will they say I’m arrogant? Or should I just hold my tongue?” But that image concept was fresh and new, and the theme was clear. According to principles, it was feasible. If I just went along with everyone else’s views, wouldn’t that be throwing away a good design proposal? I thought about how honest people do their duties meticulously and uphold principles. So I told them about my views and the relevant principles. Through our discussion, everyone agreed that what I said was more in keeping with principles. When that happened, I was truly grateful for God’s guidance, and experienced the peace that comes from handling things by following principles.

So now, I’ve gradually freed myself from being overly cautious and wary. I can discuss whatever view I have with everyone, and my heart feels purer and more open in the performance of my duty. I’ve become more effective in doing my duty. That knowledge and the ability to change are all thanks to the guidance of God’s word.