My parents were looking forward to the day when I would grow up and become a Chinese linguist or writer. That was when I was only four years old and just beginning my training in traditional Chinese culture. By the time I was eight years old, I was skilled at Chinese handwriting, ancient Chinese, and Chinese classical literature, and neither my parents nor I ever thought that my interest at that time would be so radically changed. But it was. Let me tell you my story. 

When I was ten years old, I was honored to be invited to take part in a National Children’s Essay Contest. I wrote an essay for competition called “Night Travels on Lantern Street.” I was so honored to receive first place, and many told me afterward that I won first prize because of my fluent and graceful use of the Chinese language. As a reward, I received 50 RMB (about 8 US dollars). It was a large amount of money for a young child during that time in China.

My parents were proud of my small success and suggested that I take this bonus and do something meaningful. My mother asked, “What is your plan for this bonus?” After thinking about it for a few minutes, I answered, “I want to have a set of encyclopedias.” My father nodded and said, “These will be useful tools for you to learn about natural science, and you can buy them for only 20 RMB (about 3 US dollars). What do you want to do with the rest that is left over?” I had no idea about what to do with the remaining part of the bonus. When I bought the books, I enjoyed the wonderful biological world, not only learning about insects and mammals, but also about cells and the micro phenomena inside the cells.

On the following Saturday morning, my parents took me to a Children’s Hospital in my hometown where we visited the isolation ward, which was hung with large white curtains and filled with the smell of disinfectants. Through the glass window I saw a boy whose face looked like white paper. He happened to be the son of my father’s friend, and he was only twelve years old. I enjoyed spending time with him playing games and reading books together. Later, I asked my mother, “What is wrong with him? He does not look very well. May I enter the room and play with him again at another time?” It was then that my mother told me that he had leukemia and that he was suffering a lot.     

At that time, I knew nothing about leukemia, nor did I realize how serious it was for my new friend. I asked my parents, “What is leukemia, and how long will it take for him to recover?” My father sighed deeply, and said, “He will leave his parents and go to another world in just a few weeks.” I observed the distraught and sad faces of his parents, and then I understood the serious effects of this disease. I told my mother, “When we visited together, he told me that he wanted to become an aircraft designer, and after that, he wanted to have his own specially designed aircraft named after him.” I told my parents that I wanted to buy an aircraft model for him, and that’s when I knew what I wanted to do with the remaining part of my prize money. He later completed the model I brought to him, but shortly thereafter, he left this world and the painful disease.

It was my first set of encyclopedias and my prize money that opened the door of natural science to me. But it was the boy who died from leukemia that taught me how terrible diseases can be. From the time that I lost my new friend to leukemia, the dream of becoming a medical and biological scientist started to captivate my heart and mind. A few years later when I entered high school, I knew that I wanted to focus my studies on the formation, progression, and cures for some of the terrible diseases that we have in our world. And today as a PhD student and doing research in biology and medicine, I am running on the path towards my dream of being a biological scientist. I realize now that one’s dream for the future can begin to form when a person is very young, so young people should watch for it to appear in their heart, and once it does, they should never let go of it.   

Additional Comments – After readying my student’s essay, I was amazed at how young she was when her dream began to form in her heart and mind. Parents often ask their children what they want to be “when they grow up,” and now as grandparents, Peggy and I ask that question of our younger grandchildren. Our twin grandsons love science and engineering, and our granddaughter loves music and helping people. Who knows what God has in store for them, but it’s so healthy to have a dream set before their eyes, a dream that is uniquely theirs. And at the same time, they need to be prepared for some unexpected twists and turns along the way.

In biblical times, the “heart” was not the organ of our bodies that pumps blood, but was, in fact, the seat of one’s emotions, desires, inclinations, and motivations. In fact, it’s our heart that is the true essence and driving influence of our lives. When we ask someone, “What do you really feel in your heart?”, we are not asking them to give us their latest EKG results. We are asking them to reveal what is at the core of their being, or at least at the core of their feelings. 

In virtually every situation, our dreams are intimately connected with our passions. We should all ask ourselves, “What is it that I really love to do?” When we ask that question, we need to remember that it is God who made us uniquely, and He knows all about each one of us. Our abilities and passions may be in sports, literature, music, math, engineering, discovering, teaching, or any number of other endeavors. For Jesus, He was passionate about keeping worship pure and unadulterated, and that’s why when He saw the money changers in the Temple, He turned over their tables and drove them out. Jesus was always passionate about doing His Father’s will. When people tried to make Him an earthly king, He refused, because He knew that His mission was not “…to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus knew His mission (His calling), and fulfilling His mission was His greatest passion.

God gave each of us hopes, dreams, and passions to do something meaningful and significant with our lives. In the end, Jesus wants us to become more like Him in our character and conduct, and then to bless others by making a difference in the world through what He has called us to do. We should all be asking God this simple question, “What is it that you want me to do with my life?” If you need wisdom to discern what it is, then just ask Him for it. He said He will give it generously to all who ask Him in faith (Js. 1:5). And once He lets you know, then just go do it with all of the strength He provides.