7, The Beautiful House

A Place of Rest, a Time of Renewal

A Place of Rest, a Time of Renewal, and the Pilgrimage of Faith Resumed

Beyond Suffering, Spiritual Beauty

Where there is suffering, there is always God’s grace beyond it.
I spent a God-given time in a quiet German village, in a “Beautiful House” there.
At every meal, I experienced not just food, but the grace of receiving the “Lord’s life.”

Fig. 7-1: Jesus giving bread to His disciples, saying, “This is my life.”

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
(John 6:35)

It was more than gratitude for daily sustenance.
This bread of life breathed the Lord’s Spirit anew into me,
and in that moment, I felt the direction of my life begin to shift.
The Apostle Paul says:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)

The “Beautiful House” in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress
In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian stops at a rest place called the “Beautiful House” in the middle of his journey.
There he meets three women—Discretion, Piety, and Charity—and engages in deep conversation.

Fig. 7-2: Charity comforting Christian upon his arrival at the Beautiful House

They ask Christian:
"Why have you left this road?"
"Do the temptations of the world still linger?"
"Have you tried to lead your loved ones onto the path of faith?"

These questions were more than conversation—they were mirrors of faith.
And now, these questions speak to each of us as well.

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Stories Left by the Ancestors of Faith
The library within the Beautiful House was filled with the records of the ancestors of faith:
Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, Samuel…
Their common thread was one thing: they trusted God.

"The world was not worthy of them, wandering over deserts and mountains and maintaining their faith in harsh times." (Hebrews 11:38)

Their stories were not merely knowledge to Christian;
they were weapons of faith.

7-3: Early Christians martyred on the pyre, their faith’s flame undimmed by the fire of suffering.

Spiritual Armament – The Full Armor of God
The next day, Christian was guided to the “armory.”
There, he examined the full armor God had prepared:

The belt of truth

The breastplate of righteousness

The shoes of the gospel

The shield of faith

The helmet of salvation

The sword of the Spirit

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He was not there merely to rest;
he was there to be armed to walk again.
From that place, he was guided by Discretion to the Mountain of Joy and resumed his pilgrim journey.

Fig. -4: Discretion showing Christian the Mountain of Joy

Rest is Not the End, but a New Beginning
The rest I received in Germany was the same.
There, I sat at a spiritual table, partaking in God’s life,
and my weary body and mind were restored with strength to rise again.
The Beautiful House was not a destination, but a springboard.
Only the restored can walk the path again,
and only those who reclaim the scroll can cross the Mountain of Joy.

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Six Years in Germany, God’s Gift
I spent six years in Germany.
It was not merely a place of study abroad,
but a time prepared by God for restoration and spiritual armament.

There, I met three “companions of faith”:

Mrs. Behrendt – a woman of charity who cared for me like a parent.

Heiner Doersam – a devout friend who reached across the barrier of language.

Professor U. Schmidt – a man of discretion who guided me in both scholarship and faith.

Fig. 7-5: Mrs. Behrendt, Heiner, and Professor Schmidt

Without their love and dedication, I would not stand as I do today.
They were my Discretion, Piety, and Charity.

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The “Village of Rest” with Storks
Ribeauvillé in Alsace, France, was a village where storks and humans lived together.

It was a village of shalom, where God’s created order was plainly revealed.
There, I meditated again on the order of life:
"The stork brings the babies." — Not merely a legend,
but a reflection of the cycle of life and a metaphor for God’s love.

Fig. 7-6: Stork nests and the village view in Ribeauvillé

German Protestant Dormitory – A Community of Faith
The dormitory where I lived was run by the Evangelische Kirche (German Protestant Church).
It had been donated to the church by someone who had lived there all their life,
and for me, who had little money, it was truly God’s house.

Every Wednesday evening, there was worship and communion.
Unlike worship in Korea, nearly every service in German churches includes communion.

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:54)

Communion was not a mere ritual.
It was a time to arm my soul,
a touch of God giving me the strength to walk again.

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The Lord’s Table and a Pilgrim’s Commitment
Communion is not a memory of the past, but a meeting here and now.
Jesus still speaks:
"Your table is a table where I am present."

Each time, I confess:
"Lord, the one who lives within me is no longer me, but Christ."

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A Pilgrim’s Meditation

Where am I finding rest?

What does my “Beautiful House” look like?

Am I fully armed with the whole armor of God?

Where is the path God is sending me to walk again?

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A Pilgrim’s Prayer
"Lord, thank You for giving me rest.
Let this rest not be an end, but a time of restoration and new beginnings.
Build me up in Discretion, Piety, and Charity,
arm me with the full armor of God, and let me walk the pilgrim’s path again.
With You, Lord, every place becomes the Mountain of Joy. Amen."