“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I want to be a servant. To show compassion. To love.
I remember visiting grandparents in Taiwan as a young child. I will never forget the men, lying fully prostrate on the filthy ground in the open market, begging for money. I can still feel the weight of their shame as though their poverty was something they willfully chose.
I remember crossing the Rio Grande border on the pedestrian bridge while on a high school trip to Mexico. I remember women and children on the riverbanks below reaching out for money and food.
I remember the mobs of children crying and begging as I left the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. I recall realizing how easily our positions could have been reversed.
I don't want to forget. I don't want to be intoxicated by this world's comforts.
Though fully flawed, I can still be used to extend God's love, as He has demonstrated love to me. I want to be a blessing as He has blessed me. I want to generously give my heart, resources, and abilities. I want to fight the injustices that I see, even though, at times, my actions may not appear to have widespread impact. I don't want my life — my career, my time, and my pursuits — to be consumed with myself. I want to be a servant.
I remember visiting grandparents in Taiwan as a young child. I will never forget the men, lying fully prostrate on the filthy ground in the open market, begging for money. I can still feel the weight of their shame as though their poverty was something they willfully chose.
I remember crossing the Rio Grande border on the pedestrian bridge while on a high school trip to Mexico. I remember women and children on the riverbanks below reaching out for money and food.
I remember the mobs of children crying and begging as I left the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. I recall realizing how easily our positions could have been reversed.
I don't want to forget. I don't want to be intoxicated by this world's comforts.
Though fully flawed, I can still be used to extend God's love, as He has demonstrated love to me. I want to be a blessing as He has blessed me. I want to generously give my heart, resources, and abilities. I want to fight the injustices that I see, even though, at times, my actions may not appear to have widespread impact. I don't want my life — my career, my time, and my pursuits — to be consumed with myself. I want to be a servant.
— Faya Peng