I started going to church when I was 3. None of my parents nor relatives were Christian at that time; it was my mom who, raised in the practices of ancestral rites her whole childhood, was bored one Sunday morning and got interested in going to church.

At first, her reasons were simple. There was a kids' class called Kidzquest for the K-5 (kindergarten to grade 5) where I'd go to while my mom listened to the pastor's sermon. My mom considered it a free English class for both me and her – but especially me – so she thought it was well worth the taxi fee.

As a 3-year-old, my motives were even simpler: free cookies and lemonades in the church lobby. The perfect treat for a child who's been deprived of snacks.

A couple months after her first visit – undergoing a revelation of how beautiful and awe-inspiring nature was, as if there had to be a transcendent creator – my mom got baptized and became the first Christian in our family. And I, enjoying my cookies and lemonades on Sunday mornings, became the second.

Belief in God, Christ, and the Bible came naturally to me since they served as a moral compass for the curious and hectic child I was then. Stories of God creating the universe, Moses dividing the Red Sea, Christ dying on the cross all sounded epic and comforting... in a strange way. They were stories with good lessons to be learned in them.

But it wasn't until grade 11 that my faith became central to my identity.

The IB 45 Harvard-admitted dreamer I was, I had many insecurities when it came to academics and life after high school. What if I didn't get into an Ivy League? What kind of life was I going to live? What would work look like for me? Am I even going to get married? Why am I so bad at math?

Stress piled up, responsibilities increased, and I had very serious questions that demanded clear answers.

I looked into psychology. I read about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Carl Jung's Individuation and Archetype of the Hero, Carl Rogers' Self-concept theory.

I looked into philosophy. I read about Stoicism, Nietzsche, and Victor Frankl who wrote Man's Search for Meaning.

The most influential of all was Jordan B. Peterson, who merged psychology, philosophy, religion, and mythology to tackle the nature of meaning and share his findings through his book Maps of Meaning. The way it explores how deeply Judeo-Christian values permeate Western society resonated a lot with me.

From his decades of learning, Peterson put responsibility as the ultimate meaning of life. He refers to the kind of responsibility of being a mature, ethical, and productive individual who actively works towards improving themselves and the world around them.

Now that's deep, but somehow I wasn't really satisfied. Where would the meaning of life be when one concludes that every day is another day of fulfilling their personal/familial/social responsibilities, however noble they might seem? And what if one fails to do so? Do they become a worthless person?

His statement just didn't feel... complete. I only felt more burdened than I used to and thought there had to be more to life than this.

That was what turned my attention towards Christianity.

The essence of Christianity can be captured in one sentence:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

What does this mean? Well I figured (with ChatGPT's help) that it means:

God created the world and everything in it, including mankind whom He made in His own image to have a relationship with them.
But humanity, by putting themselves above God and going their own way, has fallen short of God's holy standards.
The penalty for such sin was death and eternal separation from God (i.e. hell), which no human effort could overcome.
Out of His love for us, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and rise again, paying the price for our sins and offering us forgiveness and eternal life.
So that through faith in Jesus, we can receive salvation and the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live a life that honors God.
Those who believe in Jesus are adopted into God's family and are called to live a life of love, obedience, and service to Him and others.

What a story! But why do I believe in it?

Well, first it answered my question of "What's the meaning/purpose of life?"

It is to love God and love others (because God has loved us since the beginning and demonstrated it through Christ's crucifixion).

Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
– Matthew 22:37-38

Which also answered my next question, "How should I live?"

I should live in relation to God, conversing with him through prayer, worship, and reading the Bible. And I should love my neighbors (i.e. everyone) as we were all divinely made "in the image of God" and therefore deserve to be loved.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27

I saw this fitting well with JP's statement about responsibility – responsibility is not the ultimate meaning of life but rather a necessary precursor to living a life of love.

It never fails to amaze me how profound this idea is, and I have to admit, it has made a radical difference in my life.

Firstly, all of my insecurities about school and my future vanished. I could trust in God that He indeed has a good plan ahead for me (which may not be an easy one to go through, but definitely a path that'll help me to grow the most).

Secondly, I could see the world more critically. This was especially helpful in realizing the absurdity of the IBDP and being able to develop a critical perspective of our education system.

Thirdly, it changed the way I view and treat others. The more I learned about Jesus I started loving my friends, families, even strangers more than I ever did before. Once you realize how much you're loved by God, I guess you just can't help but share it with others.

Nowadays, I find that secularism has created a spiritual void within many youths only to be filled with lust, alcoholism, and other forms of addictions. I see this in college pubs and parties, but many modern music and films reflect this as well.

As a follower of Christ, we're led to reject the perverseness of our culture and keep eyes on God, because it's only through Him we'll find true freedom from the temporariness of this world. There's life in truth – and I've experienced it.

Now, I want to help others discover it too.

That's why I'm a Christian.