My Testimony

Since Primary 1, I went to the Student Care Centre at Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church. My brother and I would stay there for the whole day as our parents work from morning till evening.  We would study and play with other students from all ages. At the student care at BBTC, I came to know the Lord through storybooks and animation movies shared with us through the teachers.

From Primary 4 onwards, I attended their Tuition Ministry which taught me English and Maths. Besides focusing on studies, the teachers would also conduct games and teach us biblical values to mould our character. They also shared godly advice to us and led us to sing praises and worship God.

I remembered one particular day near Good Friday very well. I watched a movie but this time round, it wasn’t a cartoon.  The movie portrayed Jesus Christ who was arrested by the Jewish leaders till His last moments during His cruxification. As I watched the scene where Jesus was nailed on the cross, I realised that His people did not acknowledge Him and there is sin in every mankind.  God caused me to understand how much I have sinned against Him, like those people in the movie. In my heart, I prayed to Jesus, “Lord, I believe in You.”

As I walked home that day, my mind was filled with the images of Jesus being flogged and spat upon by the religious leaders. He was mocked and laughed at by the crowd before finally being nailed to the cross.  I felt extremely sorry for my sinful nature. I looked up to the blue sky, pondering over the blood that paid for the penalty of my sins.

On another occasion when I was Primary 5, I was with my closest friend at student care. She asked me if I was a Christian. I replied saying, “Not yet.” “How come?” “I thought you are”, she commented. I told her “Of course, I want to.” Though she was 2 years younger, she led me to pray the sinners’ prayer.

I want to praise God for how He has worked in my life. Ever since primary school, I experienced people looking down on me because of my family background and my weaker academic performance.  I was bullied in class by a male classmate from primary school all the way till secondary school. On a number of occasions, he would spit his saliva on me. During those times, I would wonder why there’s no justice in this world. I kept on asking myself and even God, “Why am I on this earth? Why do you bring me to existence? Why am I blamed for what I have not done wrong? Why don’t things go the way I hoped them to be?”  There were times where I struggled to forgive those who bullied and looked down on me. I didn’t know how to love them because of the way they treated me. The more I remembered how they were to me, the more I think they are wrong and in my anger, I judged them.

Then God caused me to understand that Jesus Christ had the same encounter too. The religious leaders spat on Him. Yet God showed His love by choosing to die on the cross for our sins. God also taught me that there will be a time where He will judge all men. Similarly, because of the Good News of Christ’s redemption, God demonstrated His love and forgiveness. Therefore, I also ought to love and bless even those who hurt me.  

God showed me the purpose of my existence in 1 Peter 2:9-10  which says

⁹ But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; ¹⁰ for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

This verse taught me that I am a princess of God. I am God’s own special child and He is my King and my High Priest. I am chosen regardless of where I come from, whatever background I was brought up in and whichever culture I lived in. In Christ, I am called to be set apart to live a holy life in Christ. The most important reason for my existence is that I should make Him known – The Christ who brought me out of darkness into His marvellous light. All praise to God for His work in my life! Amen!