I really am far too easily affected by other people.

Today, the passage I shared did not actually fit its context, and Mr. Zhang used the occasion to teach us a little. I was deeply unhappy about it. I racked my brain, checked the ESV, dug into the original Hebrew—and found that I really did seem to be wrong. Rather than admit it, I went hunting through every side alley for evidence in my defense, so desperately that I missed what my classmates shared afterward. (Not that I was the one taking notes.)

Later, we talked about something that happened in Chinese class today involving a survey. My classmates said Ms. Zheng, our Chinese teacher, had sent an email criticizing everyone for repaying kindness with hostility by refusing to fill it out. I knew I had already completed the survey, but I could not resist opening the mass email anyway. Within the first few lines I found: “I would like to express my appreciation to Zitian for assisting PG with the survey for Y12 Chinese First Language SAC 1.” A hundred feelings hit me at once—above all, I was moved.

Mr. Zhang later admonished the class over the incident, using Luke 6:35: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” One line from his explanation stayed with me in particular:

“Are you children of the Most High? If not, then support yourselves with your own hands and see how capable you are.”

I was always taught to “take my life into my own hands,” and that the real betrayal was to act against my heart. Yet we do not live by our own strength. There is One above us! On our own, we can do nothing. Only through the salvation accomplished for us when the Most High humbled Himself and came to earth, and through the Comforter dwelling in our hearts, can anything be done.