A Successful Life

by Zhou Yi-ling

Mrs. Yu was one hundred years old when she died. Baptized as a Christian at the age of 14, she had loved and enjoyed teaching throughout her life. She taught in various schools in Taishan and from 1939 she had taught in Peiying Middle School in Hong Kong right up till her retirement at the age of 70. In the tough three years and eight months of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the principal of the school and all the staff had moved back into China; all, that is, but Mrs. Yu, who decided to stay behind to teach classes as usual! When news came that China had won the anti-Japanese war, she immediately bought a new site for the school, laying a solid foundation for its future development. She devoted her best years to Peiying. Among her students were doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, engineers and even pastors. Her students were her greatest comfort in life.

Three years after her marriage at 23, her husband went overseas and it was forty years before he returned and they were re-united. But then he died of cancer just over a year later. Mrs. Yu's son had been forcefully drafted to do hard labor during the Japanese invasion and they never regained contact. All of these events brought her sadness, but she still remained cheerful and there was always a smile on her face.

When Mrs. Yu was 53 years old, she adopted a teenage orphan. Many people had advised her against this as the child didn't seem to be the right age for adoption and he might not treat her as a mother when he grew up. Nevertheless, she believed that so long as she raised him with love he would not disappoint her. She treated him as her own child. She provided him with every opportunity to learn music, art and calligraphy. Although there were times when he seemed to be out of control, she was always gentle with him. She provided him with financial support till he completed his college education. For all those years she consistently loved the boy, firmly believing that it was God who had given him to her.

Mrs. Yu worshipped the Lord devotedly, obediently served her parents, treated her friends with sincerity and taught youngsters with patience. She lived a simple lifestyle. She gave six reasons for her happiness and longevity:

1. Leave everything in God's hand; He will surely remove your burdens.

2. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry; forgive and you will sleep well.

3. Always extend a helping hand. Helping others is the source of happiness.

4. Keep your material desires to a minimum and your spiritual desires as the highest priority.

5. Do not say anything that would hurt others. Manage your own tongue well before you manage anything else.

6. Learn to forget past sadnesses and to endure present ones; learn to look forward in hope for the days to come.

It is often said: Good people live long. Mrs Yu's one hundred years of life were filled with God's grace.

Over ten years ago, the doctor told Mrs. Yu that she had cancer of the rectum and had no more than a year to live. Her adopted son and all her relatives were shocked and yet she herself did not show any sign of fear. In those ten years she lived with her illness with courage and ingenuity, taking it as a positive challenge.

During a medical checkup seven years ago, the doctor asked her in surprise, "You do know what your illness is, don't you, Mrs. Yu?"

Her adopted son began to translate for them. "Of course I know. Didn't you tell me before that this was cancer?" Although she was 93 years old, she was still extremely articulate.

"All right, then... Are you in any pain?"

"Yes, a little. I can stand it."

The doctor was astonished at the composure of her patient. After a while she asked,

"How are you going about coping with your illness?"

She replied simply, "It is really simple. I don't believe God has deserted me. I'm not seeing the cancer as my enemy. I see it as my guest."

"Guest? What kind of guest?"

"It is a guest that has come to my body without an invitation. Since I can't send it away, I extend it my hospitality. It needs nutrition, so I eat a little more. It needs care, so I give my tummy little massages. When I take my daily shower, I let the water flow over it so it gets a bath too. When it is at peace, I am at peace and my appetite is at peace. It lives its life and I live mine. We don't fight each other. We co-exist and we are both get along! Ha, ha..."

Her cheerful laughter greatly confused the cancer specialist, who began to be uncertain about her own diagnosis. Then the old lady said reassuringly,

"Doctor, your diagnosis is correct. I do feel the cancer growing every day. But the trick is not to bother it and it won't bother me. Perhaps this is why I can still live my normal life and do what I like to do."

The doctor felt she had never met such a cheerful cancer patient. She paused and asked curiously,

"But aren't you afraid of the future? Don't you fear death?"

"What about the future? Who knows about the future? Everybody's life and death is in God's hand. God has all the plans and I don't have to worry about it. Besides, I am 93 years old. Our flesh, like machines, is not eternal. We cannot live forever. We die of either an accident or a disease. And we can't choose which. So why don't we just live our life and leave it all to God? Don't you think so?"

As her adopted son continued interpreting for her, the doctor just sat there dumbfounded.

About two months ago, Mrs. Yu didn't feel well and she wasn't at church. This was out of the usual, so I went to visit her. Her legs were all swollen up. Being a doctor myself, I touched the hard part on her abdomen. From her waist up she was emaciated. I couldn't hold back my tears and Mrs. Yu understood me. She sat up smiling, " Thankyou you so much for coming to see me. Just pray for me. I feel much better now." There were no complaints and just perfect confidence. It was me who had been supposed to go and comfort her, but I was the one who had been comforted.

As I left her moving funeral ceremony, I couldn't help going through in my mind the definition of a successful life. I believe a successful life is not defined by great achievements; as Mrs. Yu's adopted son put it: "A successful life is to leave a good impression on others; a failed life is to leave a painful impression on others."

What is good, then? A good life is not a life free of pain but one that glorifies God and benefits others. A good life is characterised by a good relationship with one's Lord. A good life is marked by pure faith, cheerful hope and true love. It is a rich life, yet it does not rely on social position or wealth. Let us encourage each other and live successful, meaningful and rich lives!

The author was a bacteriologist. She is now assistant pastor of the Chinese congregation of a church in Canada.