What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
When I was young, my parents often reminded my siblings and me to be good judges of character. My mother would add, “Be kind-hearted.” This echoes the old Chinese saying: Never intend to harm others, but always stay vigilant against harm. Under that teaching I grew up—learning to read people and discern their hearts, yet never letting go of kindness.
Later, as a Christian, I found a deeper foundation in Scripture. A few familiar verses speak plainly:
· “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)
· “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
· “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
The common thread? Kindness. But God-breathed writing lifts us higher still—calling us to extend that kindness even to those who hurt us, even to enemies. Paul’s well-known words echo Jesus: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:20–21). This is love that reaches far beyond human wisdom. Yet I often wonder—how many of us truly live it?
My parents’ advice served me well in my teenage years. The Lord’s teaching built on that foundation—not only in reading people, but in reading the heart of God. So when I mentor young students today, I tell them: To relate to people well, learn to read between the lines. Pay attention to subtle cues in body language—they can save you from misunderstanding and misstep.
Over the years, I’ve watched them grow—not just in skill, but in character. Resilience, especially, has been a quiet triumph; it helps children carry stress and survive trauma. Several months ago, one mentee—a Form 4 student—was hurt by her classmates over a school project. I comforted her and gently guided her back to the virtue of forgiveness. She was restored, and more importantly, through this encounter she has grown stronger—and happier.
If I were to sum up the best and most practical advice I’ve given, it would be this: Do not grow weary in doing good. In due season, you will reap—if you do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
And today, this sharing brings to mind a poem I’ve often offered to my students—a gentle reminder for anyone guiding the young:
—
✨ “Habits: Good or Evil?”
“Custom is king”—so runs the common creed.
Train up a child the way he ought to go,
And when he’s old, he shall not from it stray.
Good habits forged in youth make age a friend;
But hearts depraved, grown accustomed to ill—
Their ruin is the end that awaits them still.
The sun must rise and set, the tide must flow
And ebb again—so all things cycle low.
Heaven grows not old, but man must fade away;
Heaven changes not, yet man must change his mind—
Renewed each day, transformed in heart and kind.
The way of life is this: to be renewed,
And in that newness find your soul’s true food.
—
All in all, the final takeaway is this: Guard your heart, and let kindness flow from it.
✨💖
en yan hua fang 