Contributed by Adeline Ting • Apr 28, 2026

The soldier, athlete, and farmer. The soldier is focussed and loyal, the athlete is disciplined and obedient, and the farmer exudes quiet endurance and great faith and trust in the promise of the harvest.

I find that my faith is a soldier at times. Remaining loyal is not a problem, but to persistently disentangle myself and remain separated from civilian matters-that is another story. Especially when civilian life is comfortable and convenient, while suffering seems to be the DNA of a Christian life. I find that my faith is challenged to be an athlete too, where discipline and obedience is critical for growth. While I had gathered some momentum in certain stages of my life in reading and nourishing my mind, body and soul with God’s word, I find my discipline faltering over the years, diluted by the many external factors that erode my obedience. And the farmer, yes, that I can identify too. In my years of undertaking my postgraduate studies, I had to raise 300-500 over banana plants for the various experiments, and the waiting to reap the harvest (the results) can really be trying, agonizing and exhausting. A farmer’s faith demands great trust as a farmer toils consistently, not knowing immediately, but always believing that the result will be as promised.

I am deeply inspired by the story of John Sung. Although he had a doctorate in hand, he gave up many opportunities that might have led to a comfortable life. He chose to obey and remain a soldier to please his commander. He was a man of prayer, and he read only his Bible and daily newspaper. While he was in isolation, he read the Bible many times to become very familiar and well versed. That is the discipline of an athlete. And his great work in reaching out to the many Chinese settlements (including Sibu and Sitiawan) have reaped great harvest. At that point in his life, he had the farmer’s faith. He would never have thought that his work would have impacted the many generations of Christians in Malaysia, yet he carried it out in faith as it pleased the Lord.

And so, in my very naïve comparative analysis, I can conclude that I am nowhere near John Sung. But I believe some of the values he had resonated with not just me, but with many of us through the generations. We can all draw inspiration and mould them into something doable in our life. We can learn to give up some of the comfort and convenience in life, by answering the call for missions work or engaging with communities. We can also inculcate greater discipline into our life by exercising greater faith, knowledge and compassion for others. And as we labour faithfully, do not be discouraged if the results are not seen immediately. Hold on to God’s promise.

So yes, our faith needs to be like a soldier, athlete and farmer so that we persevere and endure, and remain faithful and loyally committed to Christ over everything else.