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Samuel Buhler's avatar

This brought King Josiah to mind.

His faithfulness didn’t stop the exile—but it shaped the ones who lived through it. Because he returned to the Word, reformed the worship, and taught a generation to seek God, there were four young men—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—who stood firm in Babylon.

Your reflection reminds me that even when the world around us breaks, the seeds we plant in our children can grow roots that hold. The land may look like exile, but the image of God still rises. And grace still blooms, even in Babylon.

May we raise our children in the same manner. Our God always works generationally. It is an important reminder. Thanks for sharing!

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

“His faithfulness didn’t stop the exile—but it shaped the ones who lived through it.”

I’ve never heard that before. Honestly I was used to thinking of virtually all Old Testament kings as failures. It never occurred to me to think about the long-term fruit of even their partial faithfulness. Thanks for sharing this thought. Beautiful.

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Hannah Pfister's avatar

The real and devastating work of living one's ideals. Thank you so much for writing this. I have been thinking about it all week.

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

Thanks for reading, Hannah. I thought of you when writing a specific part of this essay—can you guess which one? 🙃

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Hannah Pfister's avatar

Free things on the side of the road 😂

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

CORRECT

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Cross Section's avatar

Wow so good my friend 🌻💛

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

xoxoxo

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patti hunter's avatar

I have found nourishment in your writings. Another book for your children: Lonely Mountain

https://amandamariesparkman.wordpress.com/

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

Wow, this recommendation looks good. Thank you for sharing this, Patti 🖤

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Loris Mills's avatar

The good and the hard at the same time needs this perspective.

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

Thank you for reading 🖤

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Joshua Bocanegra's avatar

love!

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Yi Ning Chiu's avatar

🥲

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