How does Faith relate to the world in which we live?

"You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" These were the words of Jesus when His disciples were found screaming out of fear that the storm would swallow them in their own boat. Jesus' twelve disciples had nothing to be afraid of, considering the fact that Jesus Himself was right beside them. Yet, they still decided to panic and not entirely trust in their Savior. As funny as it may sound, this is in fact quite applicable to the world in which we live today, although much more in a metaphysical sense. In this world, as we face hardships such as natural disasters, poverty, war, and crime, we have more and more of the need to have faith in God and allowing Him to calm the storm in our lives. Sure, the disciples were surrounded with crashing waves and screaming winds however, they also had Jesus in His physical form. People today NEED faith in order to live peaceful lives especially with all of the wickedness and tragedies that surround us. Without faith, we cannot have God. Without God, our lives will be empty. Trusting in God with your life, even if we cannot see Him. That is faith.

My Culture: Who am I?

Up to this day, I still cannot give a precise answer to one of the simplest questions that I am so often asked, "Where are you from?". Born and raised in the beautiful state of California, I was brought up in an Asian home with Korean parents, yet still normally embracing the culture of Americans. At that time, I was still naively unaware of the differences between my non-korean friends and I until the day I landed on a plane in a foreign land on the other side of the world, China. Being thrown this hard but life-changing opportunity, I decided to embrace it and become a part of another world that I have been offered to. Seven years later, after basically sucking the Chinese culture into my world, my parents decided to send me to an international school in Korea. Even though I was brought up in a Korea home, I have never lived in the land of my ancestors so it was still a foreign piece of land to me, but I was ready. Here I am today with all of these diverse cultures that help define who I am.

So when people ask me where I’m from, what do I have to say? Should I just tell them my whole story and let them figure it out themselves? Living in the diverse cultures that I have faced, it is impossible for me to choose which one I can call “mine” because they are all now a part of me and always will be. Through experiencing these different cultures, not only have I learnt so much, but it has also shaped my life. The places I travel to aren’t foreign to me because at one point in my life, it has already been my home. So when people ask me where I’m from, I know I’ll never be able to give a definite answer but it’s a part of me which I’ll always be proud of. Who am I? Well, I'm just an average teenage guy with a pretty crazy background.