An Inspiring Speech from a Civil Servant

My aunt in the States forwarded this by email today, and it's too good not to pass on.

Very rarely does a civil servant publicly confess her faith, much less one so senior. Perhaps she was placed where she is "for such a time as this". I am encouraged and inspired by PS (PSD)'s faith, courage and candour.

SPEECH AT HER WORLD WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2006 GALA DINNER, 6 MAR 07

Minister Vivian Balakrishnan
My Dear Family, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Thank you for being here to share this evening with Esther and me. Thank you Simon for your very kindwords. And thank you Her World and the Judging Panel for giving me this honour.

2. This award came as a complete surprise to me. Sometime in early January, Simon told me that Her World would like to give me this award and asked if I would accept it. My first question to Simon was “Why me?”

Simon mentioned my contribution to the community through my book on my journey when my elder son, Samuel, was battling cancer about 2 years ago. I told Simon that I was very honoured and flattered by the award but there are so many other women out there who have gone or are going through even much more difficult trials than I had.

To be honest, I was concerned because when Simon mentioned the award, the first two words that came to my mind were “vanity” and“pride”. I wanted to be sure that if I do accept the award, I would do it for the right reason, certainly not for vanity and pride. I told Simon that I would need to pray about it.

3. That night, I asked my family members to help pray for me. Sam said “Mom, so long as you are unsure, don’t accept it.” I told him that I was unsure because of my concern that I was doing it for my vanity and pride. Yet I also know that if I accept the award, it would a wonderful opportunity for me to share with others God’s love for us, and to thank God for all He has done and is continuing to do in my life. Sam said he would pray for me. The next morning, he asked why I would want to accept the award. I repeated what I told him the night before. Sam then said “Go for it, Mom”.

4. Two weeks after I told Simon that I would accept the award, we found out that Sam has a relapse. His cancer has returned but we thank God that the tumouris localized, at the old place, in his thymus gland. Sam had a surgery about a month ago to remove the tumour but unfortunately not all could be removed. Sam is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment andfurther down the road, will be having a stem cell transplant using stem cells from Russell, his younger brother. My husband and both my sons, whom I am very proud of, are here with me tonight.

5. As a Christian, I am taught to “be joyful always; to pray continually; to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will” for me (1 Ths 16-18). I am also taught not to be “anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, (to) present our requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Ph 4:6-7)

6. Indeed, notwithstanding Sam’s recent relapse, Godhas granted my family and I much peace. Sam himself is very much at peace, still living life normally and we are greatly encouraged by that. We have learned that when we trust and obey God and do His will, He will give us many reasons to be thankful for. Yes, even with our new trial, our new journey of faith, there is much my family and I are thankful for.

7. And this award tonight has given me the opportunity to reflect on the many blessings in my life and for thanksgiving.

8. God knows my strengths for He is the one who has blessed me with them. He also knows where I am lacking and ensures that I am well supported there.

I have a husband who besides being the handyman in the house, happily does the grocery shopping – I know nothing about where to get the value for money stuff – he does. I have a younger sister who lives with my family and is like a surrogate mother to my sons whenever I or my husband are away. I have a faithful and reliable domestic help who has chosen to work with my family for the past 18 years.

I am deeply thankful that I have a large but close knit extended family who is always there to love, laugh and cry with me. I feel very blessed to have friends, some of whom are here tonight, who will stay with me through thick and thin, where at times no word need to be spoken for their presence is comfort enough.

9. I have been very blessed in my career as well, not just in the kinds of challenges and opportunities Ihave been exposed to, but in the relationships that have been formed over time. I am very thankful for the many good bosses, mentors and colleagues in my life, many of whom have become firm friends. If not for their care, compassion and unstinting support when my son fell ill 2 years ago, and even now, I would have found it almost impossible to work.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was my Minister in 2004 and when he heard about Sam’s illness, he went out of his way to support me, giving me time to take care of Sam and even offering me the use of his office in the Singapore National Eye Centre should I need a place to rest or work whenever I accompany Sam to the National Cancer Centre for his treatment. I thank God that he was my Minister at that point in time. God has truly been taking very good care of me.

10. Throughout my life, I have taken on and am still taking on many roles. But one thing is clear. I am no superwoman and I don’t believe in superwomen nor for that matter, supermen. I think it will be impossible for anyone to play all his or her multiple roles equally well. For me, I have a simple philosophy. What I can’t do well or can’t do at all, I outsource. When my sons were very young and looking at picture books, they would point to the lady in the kitchen and say “Aunty Lina”, my maid, never “mummy”. When the Her World team wanted to shoot the video of me, they had suggested that one scene be of me in the kitchen preparing meals. You should hear the hysterical laughter in my home when I shared this with my family.

11. But of all my roles, the one that I treasure most is that of being a mother so I thank the Judging Panel that in deciding to give me this award tonight, they have recognized my role as a mother.

12. Motherhood has given me the deepest pain yet the greatest joy; the most tears yet the most laughs; humility yet pride. And most of all, it has allowed me to get to know my God so much more, beginning with Sam’s battle against cancer in September 2004. So I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be amother to my 2 wonderful boys.

13. There is a story in the Bible about a man who before going on his journey, entrusted his 3 servants with his money. To one, he gave 5 talents of his money, to another 2 talents and to the last, one talent, each according to his ability. When he returned, the one who was given 5 talents said he had put them to good use and gained the master another 5. So also the one who was given 2 talents; he gained 2 more but the one who was given one talent, simply hid the money as he was afraid of losing it.

When the master returned, this last servant thought his master would be happy. But his master was furious because he has not made good use of the talent that was given tohim. The master expected him to be a steward, not a mere custodian of his talent.

14. So likewise, God has given us gifts and resources according to our abilities and expect us to invest them wisely. We are responsible for ensuring that we grow well whatever we have been put in charge of.

15. I have been in the Civil Service for some 26 years. I love what I do and I am very proud to be a member of the Singapore Civil Service. I used to tell my colleagues that as civil servants, we are custodians of the public funds that have been entrusted to us but I am wrong. Like the Biblical story that I have just shared with you, we are to be more than custodians, especially if we are at senior positions – we are to be stewards, with a responsibility to protect, nurture and growing what has been entrusted to us.

16. When I first became a Christian about 9 years ago, one of the first things I learned was that we are all God’s children. My sons are also God’s children. My husband and I are but only stewards of our boys, looking after them on God’s behalf. I pray often that we have been good stewards of our children. I think we are not doing too badly because I know my boys are walking right with God. And I know that so long as they walk right with God, they will multiply the blessings God has given them and bless others in turn.

17. Whether as a career woman or a mother or any other role that I have taken on, I pray regularly that I will be a blessing rather than a burden to whoever God has put me in touch with each day of my life. My God has given me much. And as the Bible says, from anyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48) I pray I will do justice to this award you have given me.

18. Thank you once again for this honour. I have been conferred this award but I think this award is for all the women who are blessed with the faith, the peace, the strength and the tenacity to overcome whatever adversity they may face.

God Bless All of you!