Original Script

Good morning. Show of hands, how many of you drank Chicken essence this morning? Or before exams?

That advertisement was shot in 2015 when I was training to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in the marathon event. You guys run the 2.4km, right? How many rounds? How far is a marathon? 42km. That's 105 rounds around a standard 400m track.

Why did I show that video? It is by way of an introduction because I have three parts to my talk today. Firstly, I want to share with you my successes, next my struggles, and finally, God’s revelation to me in my struggles through his Word.

My Successes

I used to be a swimmer - plump, needed fats.

Running cross country - Turf City.

In 2007, I combined my sports to do a triathlon. Swim, cycle, run. SEA Games Gold.

In 2011, I set the 5000m National Record in Japan.

In 2013, I ran the SEA Games 2013 marathon, winning the Gold medal.

I had multiple sponsors - Air Asia provided free flights.

100Plus - on vending machines.

I was on the covers of several magazines, even as a med student.

I was also writing weekly columns in The Straits Times since 2007 regularly.

Currently, I am working as a sports surgeon. I operate on people’s knees to help them get back to their sports.

So far everything sounds good, isn’t it? in fact when I poll students, most people will think I am successful. I will not poll you guys, but I dare say many of you want to be in my position. To be good in sports, to be good in studies, to be a student athlete.

My Struggle

But let me tell you a tragic story. In 2015, I took a year off to attempt to qualify for the Olympics. I made press releases and even got my university to sponsor me $30,000 to head up to Boulder, Colorado, USA, to run. Why Boulder? I went there for the high-altitude environment. When we are at altitude, there are low levels of oxygen. This forces the body to produce hormones that stimulate the production of red blood cells. The more red blood cells our body has, the better the oxygen-carrying capacity, the faster one can run. So that was the strategy.

I trained with Lee Troop, who was a four-time Olympian from Australia, and he set up a running group there in Boulder.

How does it sound so far? Everything was going really well. I had money, I had time, I had a great team. My dreams were within my reach.

Suddenly, I developed knee pain after a run. I didn't fall or experience any trauma. The pain simply started in my right knee. If you've followed my success story, you know everything, my whole life hinges on my ability to run well. Being unable to run caused my life to crash. Imagine, firstly, failing to qualify for the Olympics after raising so much money. Secondly, having many sponsors and being an influencer required me to post about the latest drink and shoes when I was neither drinking nor running in them. Thirdly, having nothing to say when well-meaning friends asked me about my training or my next race. It was difficult as I felt like I was leading a double life - trying desperately to appear strong and functional, but inside, I was simply dying. You could describe me as depressed and lonely. Because I was desperately trying to maintain my image, I was struggling to stay afloat.

As a doctor, I knew what I had to do. I got the most advanced scan known to humans - a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan, MRI for short. But, lo and behold, no major structural abnormality was detected, not just on one scan, but two! I went to the top physiotherapists that Singapore had to offer, including one who prided himself as “Lee Kuan Yew’s” physiotherapist. But it did not work out either. My life was spiralling downhill because if you are like me, when you are not doing well at school, you may tell yourself “I am a good pianist” or “I am a good athlete” and thus feel better. Or if you are not doing well in your CCA, you may tell yourself that ”I have straight As”. So that was me, running was a huge plaster, if you will, for my life when I was not doing well in other spheres. When I struggled at work, I used to tell myself that “It is ok, because I am Singapore’s top marathoner”. Now that security patch is no longer working! All this happened in 2016 to 2017.

God’s Revelation

But thanks be to God, He saved me in 2018. He gave me new eyes to look at my situation.

I was confronted with these four short verses in the book of Matthew. The book of Matthew is one of the four gospels that comprise Luke, John, and Mark as well, that tell us about the life of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches us about the two types of people in this world, and their respective outcomes.

So let us read the text together, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Now let us make some simple observations. Let us look at the wise man. What did he do? What was the outcome?

Now in purple, we have the foolish man. What did he do? What was the outcome?

Now, show of hands, which man do you want to be? Who wants to be foolish? Who wants to be the wise man?

Let me confess, I was the foolish one who experienced the winds that blew and beat against my house and because my house was built on the sand of my earthly achievements, and my ability to run well, the house fell! I was building my house with the running medals I won, the accolades I received, and the praise people gave to me. My house looked really good on the surface, but when the winds and floods came, everything came tumbling down. That was why when I had my injury, my life crashed.

Now if you have been listening, you must be very interested not to make the same mistake. If you are not interested in that, then this talk has fallen on deaf ears, and you and I have wasted our time. All of us here today must ask ourselves, how can I not be the foolish man like Uncle Mok (that’s what children call me at church) but be like the wise man as described by Jesus. What does scripture say?

The key to this question is found by comparing the two men. What exactly did they do differently? Firstly, let's see in the circular box - both hear what Jesus got to say. What does this mean? Both are attending church. Both attend their cell group. Both attend their youth groups. Both are listening to chapel services week in, week out. Both look totally the same on the surface.

So what’s different? According to Jesus, the wise man will do what Jesus says, but the foolish man does not. In essence, this means obedience. The wise obey, the foolish disobey. This is true on a daily basis. We can hear our parents but not obey. We can hear our teachers but not obey. And it is the same for Jesus Christ. We can hear God’s words, with one ear in and the other ear out, and not obey.

It is important, however, not to misunderstand Jesus. In the parable, building our houses on sand refers to building our lives on anything in this world - our achievements, studies, career, and even our family. The Bible says in the book of 1John that all these will one day pass away. However, this does not mean we should quit school or our jobs today and just lead a indulgent, carefree life, or on the contrary, cut down all pleasures and live in a monastery. Instead, what God wants us to do is to use the gifts and talents He has given us today, for His glory. He wants us to focus on the giver of the gifts, not place our identity in the gifts themselves.

Call to Respond

So God's question to me, and by extension to you, is: what are we building our house on? Do we not only listen but also obey our Lord Jesus Christ? Where are you placing your identity? Are you living for yourselves, for your own glory, for your own kingdom?

The good news today is this - because of God’s love for you and I, he sent his son down, Jesus, to be on this earth. For 30 years, he did not commit a single sin, and when he died on the cross, he paid for my sins and those who put his or her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we believe in Him, and obey his Word, we will begin to build our houses on the rock-solid foundation that will last us for an eternity. In the words of Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Jesus who for their sake died and was raised.

If we do not turn and respond to his grace, we will go on to build our lives on sand, only to watch it fall one day. So let us ask ourselves tonight - what is my house built on?

Let me close us in a word of prayer. Lord. You are good. I was running so far away, building my own house of sand that glorified myself. Yet out of your mercy and grace, you have saved me from the floods and winds that are to come. I pray for all the girls here today and all the teachers. We pray that you empower them to respond to your grace, to draw near to you as you draw near to them. We give thanks to you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.