My journey to Christ began with a simple invitation to church from my secondary school teacher. I was born into a well-to-do family; my father was a successful Chinese businessman, and my mother raised me along with my twelve siblings. I was the third in my family.
However, the path I walked was far from easy.
Returning from church, I returned home to a furious mother who met me at the door. She screamed at me, took a wooden plank and starting hit me repeatedly. Neighbours peeked down from their windows, witnessing the commotion. Strangely, I felt no pain.
However, persecution came not just from my mother. But other family members shunned me as well. My fourth sister refused to talk to me. My eldest brother even chased me around the house with a chopper.
Despite the harsh welcome, I returned back to church. I didn’t fully understand why, but there was a longing in me to know Jesus. I found a sense of peace whenever I came to church that I never experienced before. Again, my mother lashed out, leaving me with bruises again and again that felt oddly painless.
One evening, as I closed my eyes to give thanks for my food, I opened them to find all my food gone. My mother had took them away in anger when she saw me praying, Yet, I went to bed feeling no hunger at all. In those bewildering moments, I didn’t realise it, but looking back, I realised that it was the Lord who was watching over me, with His angels guarding and protecting me.
In those bewildering moments, I didn’t realise it, but looking back, I realised that it was the Lord who was watching over me, with His angels guarding and protecting me.
At age 16, my mother chased me out of our home. Transitioning from a life of comfort to fending for myself was tough. Although my mother resented my “ang-moh” faith, she continued to show her love in her own way. Occasionally, she would secretly leave canned food at my one-room flat. Her concern was rooted in tradition; for her, becoming a Christian meant forsaking our Chinese heritage and gods. Her fear was genuine—who would honour her after she passed away?
Despite the persecution I faced, I never stopped loving my mother. Every Sunday, I visited her, brought her out to eat her favourite food. I knew that being a Christian wasn’t just a label; it meant embodying Christ’s love, especially towards my pre-believing mother.
Years later, while I was overseas, my sister called me to return home – our mother was gravely ill and wanted to see me. My sister relayed my mother’s words in Teochew to me, “The one I hit the most is also the most filial.” Tears welled up in my eyes. All the times I chose to love her and pray for her had not been in vain.
“The one I hit the most is also the most filial.”
Without waiting, I rushed back to Singapore and visited her, bringing her favourite oyster omelettes, even finding a shop open at 10pm by God’s grace.
At her hospital bedside, I urged her to walk towards the light and follow Jesus in her final moments. She broke down into tears. When asked why she was crying, she replied in Teochew, “Mummy has made a lot of mistakes.”
I comforted her that everyone makes mistakes, and encouraged her that Jesus can forgive us for our wrongdoings. Later on, I realised that this was her apology, and her confession to me, for all times that she had hurt me. I prayed for her, and she accepted my prayer.
I believe my mother accepted Jesus into her heart before she passed. The woman who once persecuted me saw the love of Jesus through my actions. Praise the Lord, my eldest brother, who chased me around the house with a chopper, third brother, and fourth sister came to accept the Lord as well.
Church, never give up. Keep trusting, hoping, and praying for your loved ones. Never stop reaching out to your family, no matter how tough it gets. God is good, and will provide for you as you continue to live for him. God has protected me, provided for me through all the pain.
“Never stop reaching out to your family, no matter how tough it gets.”
I pray that many of us become like the teacher that God has brought into my life. Without her, I may not have come to know Christ.
I am still praying for the rest of my family to come to know the Lord. Let us pray and trust together.