Better Late Than Never

Michael Tan

Our God is the God who pursues each and every one of us relentlessly so that we may come to the knowledge of His saving grace. St Paul says that while we may plant and water, it is ultimately God who gives growth. It is never too late to reach a loved one for God, just as it is never too late to reach God for yourself. He waits and He beckons. Woan Chee's story tells powerfully of our God who pursues.

Q: When did you become a Christian? Briefly describe the circumstances and event.

Woan Chee: I accepted Christ in 2017 at a Gospel and Healing service at SJSM. I was 48 years old then and had been attending SES at SJSM regularly for about a year. Why was I attending church regularly? Prior to 2016, this would have been impossible. However, in September 2014, my husband, Chin, suffered a massive stroke and this turned our whole family upside down. Chin was hospitalised for three months and until today he is still physically disabled and has near-zero vision. From being a traditional housewife whose head of family is the husband, I have had to take charge of everything, including making important decisions about our finances, home management, children and handling IT-related matters, which I really struggled with. Imagine, Chin was previously the one who purchased and set up my mobile phone and our home computer! I was so clueless! The pressure and stress that I was under was tremendous. This was exacerbated by our then 5-year-old younger child’s diagnosis of ADHD and learning difficulties, followed by another diagnosis of a hole in his heart requiring heart surgery. I felt so much weight on my shoulders and so alone. I felt so much sadness, anger, worry and stress. I would fall asleep exhausted at night, only to wake up in the early hours and lie sleepless in bed. My relationship with my husband was bad as we had arguments most of the time. Chin was struggling so much with his situation. The psychological impact of his condition on him was tremendous and I struggled to deal with the change in his personality.

Amidst all these problems, Chin accepted Christ as his Saviour at the end of 2015 while undergoing treatment in Taiwan. From mid-2016, he started attending SES at SJSM. As his caregiver, I would accompany him every Saturday, in Christ Sanctuary. At that memorable Gospel and Healing Service, the pivotal moment came when Ps Joshua spoke of how Jesus was there for us, if we

would only reach out to him and find rest in Him, for His yoke was easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:2830). And tentatively, I reached out my hand to the Lord.... Oh, the tears and the relief that followed!

Q: How did you see life and its priorities before you came to know God? What about now?

Woan Chee: Before I came to know God, life was focused on myself and my family. I used to think that life was about striving for excellence, for financial security and for our own happiness. I believed that we had to work hard and excel, all by our own merits and effort. And that we had to overcome any challenges on our own.

Now that I know God, I know that God has to be my number ONE. When I am close to Him, my soul is well. I have peace and wellness in my heart. These are so much more precious compared to monetary rewards, academic excellence or material goods.

I understand that Jesus does not promise us that life will be a bed of roses when we choose to be His disciples. In fact, God continues to give us challenges because He loves us. Unfortunately for us as humans, when things are going fine in life we tend to forget God in our “contentment.” However, it is through a life of endurance, facing up to tests and trials that we will grow in our discipleship as Christians. So although it is very difficult, I thank God for His love and for trials in my life. Most importantly, when I face challenges, I know that I can turn to God for His strength, His guidance, His peace, which will help me overcome all trials. I know that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13) and that I can trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding; but in all my ways acknowledge Him, and He will make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Q: What are some of the unmistakable changes that your life has undergone since?

Woan Chee: The first change was the easing of pressure and stress. I was getting better sleep and it made a huge difference in how I approached my day. Slowly, I learned to put my faith in God and believe that God is in control all the time. I learned the power of prayer— that I should not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, I can let my requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6). Many times when I was struggling to deal with my younger son or my husband, I found

that I could take time out and pray, and the situation always worked out well or even changed for the better. On the contrary, especially during the initial days of being a Christian when I did not always think about coming to God in prayer, there was much struggle and conflict.

On the home front, although things did not change miraculously overnight, they gradually improved over time. I learnt about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:12-15) and tried to practise what I learnt from God’s Word, being conscious to be more like Jesus: to show love, patience, kindness, self-control, compassion, humility, forgiveness and thankfulness. That made a big difference in my relationship with Chin and in our daily interaction.

Q: What do you cherish most about your Christian faith?

Woan Chee: Firstly, my relationship with God, the Father. I am very thankful that He is always there for me, to strengthen and guide me during difficulties, and He is a Father to whom I can turn when I need to unburden myself.

Secondly, my cell group members, for all the care and support that they show each other. They have also supported me in my journey as a young believer, including going through study materials on the fundamentals of Christian life.

"...what I learnt from God’s Word, being conscious to be more like Jesus: to show love, patience, kindness, selfcontrol, compassion, humility, forgiveness and thankfulness."

Q: Was it difficult for you making such a major decision relatively late in life? Why?

Woan Chee: It was very difficult. I hesitated for a long time because my deceased parents were staunch Buddhists and it felt like I was betraying their memory and all that they had brought me up to be. But I realised I had to make a decision for my own life and I am very thankful that I did, seeing all that God has done and continues to do in my life. In my case, it was truly better late than never.

Woan Chee is a mother of two sons and erstwhile scientist who has been a homemaker for some years now. She attends SES with her husband Chin and is regular at cell.