Lionel Soh

I am Lionel Soh from Nanyang Polytechnic, I used to be from Pasir Ris Secondary. 

I never liked to study because I always thought about having fun. But too much fun made my studies go down the drain and my results were always mediocre. I never passed my chemistry and physics exam papers because I didn’t pay attention in class and didn’t bother catching up because I didn’t feel like it. I am a happy go lucky guy who just accepts whatever happens, so I accepted my results which of course were really bad.  

I had 33 points for L1R5 for my mid year exams which was normal to me since my Secondary 3 results also hung around there. But just a couple of months before my O level prelim exams, I looked ahead and realized that my results could not bring me to the course I wanted; it could not bring me anywhere. So I decided to do a miraculous act and that was to study!  

I only started a week before my prelims. I was just going to do whatever I could in that week and then watch to see what would happen. So I studied and I asked God to help me out, because only He could rescue me from my academic pit.  

He came through for me - I passed my chemistry exam for the first time in 2 years! That was a real miracle! I started getting motivated because I knew God was on my side. My Physics teacher didn’t know about my God. She came up to me and told me not to break her 3 year record of 100% passes.  She was afraid that I would be the only one to fail the Physics paper. It was so demoralizing at that point because I was trying my best. So I told myself that I would prove her and everyone else wrong – I would pass. I made a pact with God that if He would bring me through this, all glory and honor would go to Him and not me. I would use this experience to help others who are in the same situation.  

My father, too, saw a change in me and told me that he knew I was studying for once. He also told me that God wants our “five loaves and two fish” and that He would do the multiplying, because having only 2 months to complete 2 years’ worth of work is not an easy task. I told God I would give him my best and trust He would do the rest. I claimed these verses into my life and studied everyday until late at night, catching up on my work, finding teachers to help me, which was an unusual sight that attracted a lot of attention because the last person who would ever appear, voluntarily, in a remedial class, was me; and I was there for every remedial class.  

The 2 months were not easy as I was very frustrated. I had a lot of regrets about starting so late but they didn’t make me give up. I pressed on and always before each paper, I surrendered everything to God. I told myself that I would not bring any books to study as I had really done all that I could for the past 2 months. 1-2 hours in the morning wouldn’t matter. I surrendered absolutely all to God. 

When I got my results, I never expected them - The first time in my life I ever got 18 points for L1R5. It wasn’t fantastic when measured against the national standard; it was just an average result, but to me, IT WAS FANTASTIC! Because God proved faithful and showered me with His grace and mercy. 

I managed better results at my final O Level exams but the important thing I learnt was to surrender EVERYTHING to God, and trust that He will be faithful to you.