Updated : 27/09//2004

Curses To Blessings
By Anthony Choo

Ordeal and Tribulation
I was born in 1942 and since then had enjoyed a relatively comfortable life. I was successful and financially quite stable but I was never contented nor satisfied with my status quo. I was married but was involved in extra-marital relationships.

In 1997, I embarked on a doctoral programme although I had achieved five professional qualifications between 1991 and 1996. Discontentment, self-pride, excessive work pressure and mental stress gradually led me down the road of despair and no return. As it is written, “there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” This aptly described my situation.

In 1995, I was involved in a motorcycle accident. A little wound that I had sustained on my right knee did not heal and subsequently manifested into a chronic skin disorder. Six months later, my right shoulder suddenly became painful.

To make matters worse, in June 1998, I suffered a twisted neck and my head tilted severely to the right. I then commenced a series of therapeutic treatments seeking relief from modern neurologists, Chinese physicians, occult mediums and bomohs. Each of them diagnosed me as suffering from frozen shoulder (muscle pain and lacking strength), Parkinson’s disease (muscle stiffness, spasm, and hand tremor), stroke and demonic possession. However, all those treatments had no profound effect upon my condition but soon brought an adverse effect on both my physical and mental health.

I became disabled and normal physical mobility was impaired. It was difficult for me to focus, read, write or walk and driving was extremely difficult. Even speaking and eating proved strenuous. I became anxious, distressful and miserable for no man and no god on earth could render the aid that I desperately needed to overcome my ordeal and tribulation.

Man’s Way versus God’s Way
One day, my wife’s good friend proposed to take me to her church. Although in the past I had shown reluctance and snubbed at the idea of Jesus and Christianity, this time I had no choice. I was told that the end of man’s way is the beginning of God’s way. I learned that God’s way is higher than man’s way, and God’s thought greater than man’s thought. Under my agonizing and traumatic plight then, accepting Jesus as my saviour and my Lord was the only option left. I agreed with the pastor that Jesus is able to heal my illness. Therefore when he led me into a prayer, I voluntarily followed him: “Jesus, I invite you into my life as my personal saviour and my Lord. I confess, renounce and repent of all my sins, which I beg for your forgiveness. Please heal me, Amen.” Thus my wife and I accepted the Lord on August 8, 1999, and together with my two teenaged sons, we were baptized on June 25, 2000.

In Christ with Hope 
Initially no apparent changes were observed. Out of ignorance, I still followed my wife to an occult priest for treatment. At the same time I involved myself in church activities like Bible reading, praying as well as divine healing ministries. Gradually I discovered that certain aspects of my symptoms were miraculously healed or improved. For example, my piles, eczema and dreadful dreams disappeared; my chronic cough almost vanished; and my head symmetry improved markedly. However, my posture, way of walking and movements remained abnormal and impaired. My marital and family relationships improved greatly. I began to understand the meaning and significance of love, obedience, faith, righteousness, forgiveness and humility. Despite a defective body, I now live in peace of mind, love, joy and hope in the midst of problems, burdens and sufferings. Through the ordeal and tribulation, I now understand what it meant to rejoice in suffering because the suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Though I am not totally healed I strongly believe and trust that with Jesus Christ there is hope for recovery and ultimate victory. God is sovereign, and He has His own timing to transform life and to do miracles. I commit, submit, surrender, yield and entrust my life, all my problems and everything else to the Lord.

I was born with many problems and weaknesses - a pre-mature child, 7 months old, hardly the size of a kitten and with an acute skin problem. I had one layer of skin less than an ordinary person, medically termed acute ichthyoids. I must not be exposed to the ultra violet rays of the sun or else my body would heat up very quickly and my skin would dry up, crack excessively and would bleed badly. Thin layers of scales would peel off from my hands, legs and scalp. Not having the third layer of skin, I couldn’t sweat and I did not have the required glands to cool down my body.

At night I would not be able to sleep. I would itch and scratch my body the whole night until it bled. I would be in pain most of the time with deep cracks and bleeding in certain parts of my body.

I distinctly remember that my mother would take me to the general hospital almost every weekend for injections and medication during the first 8 years of my life. The hospital became my second home. I had to shave my head bald to apply oil all over my whole body to prevent my skin from scaling and cracking. I would isolate myself so people would not come near me. I did not have many friends. Many children would call me names and some even threw stones at me. In school, I was completely isolated from the other boys. I cried a lot when I was young, as I could not understood why I had to go through all these sufferings.

In school I could not participate in any outdoor activities. I would have to remain in the shade while other students enjoyed their outdoor activities. When I was 10 years old, a new skin specialist in the general hospital advised my mother not to waste too much time in the hospital because there was no cure for this skin problem. The doctor also told my mother that my children might inherit my skin illness. I was a real letdown and disappointment to my family. Since my eldest brother had passed away, I became the eldest son. I was supposed to be their pride and support. On the contrary they were ashamed and disappointed with me.

Later on, I came to know that my parents were first cousins – probably my medical complications were due to their close blood relationship. My elder brother had died when he was very young. All my other brothers had some physical problems or other.

But that was not my only problem. Very soon my parents came to realize that I was also mentally retarded. When I was 7, my father had wanted to enrol me into a school for the retarded. But at the last minute, my mother decided to send me to a normal school. I ended up being the last boy in the class. I could not even write my own name and could not recite the ABC. I never had any pass marks (blue marks) in my report book. My other sisters and brothers were doing very well in school. My father would always criticize me for being useless and stupid.

Though I was brought up in a traditional Christian family yet I vaguely knew God. Nonetheless, later out of the depth of pain and sorrow I cried out bitterly to the Lord. The Lord was my only hope and comfort, the only one who heard me. The Lord was my companion most of the time. I would have dreams that God and his angels would play hide-and-seek with me. When I told my sisters that I dreamed of Jesus and the angels playing with me they just did not believe me.

From standard one to the standard 4, I never had a single blue mark in my report book. I needed a miracle to save me. God was always there and always faithful, the miracle came when I was in standard 5. In that year, I suddenly got all blue marks in my report book. I became the 5th boy in the class. Since then He watched over me and I started to excel in my studies.

I finished college at 21 but I was still very lonely, poor and without many friends. My relationship with my parents went from bad to worse. One day in my darkest hour I took a long walk and came across a house meeting with many people inside singing. I made my way into the house and was greeted with a warm welcome. It was a Christian meeting and I felt peace for the first time. That night through the preaching and sharing of God’s Word and Love, I accepted (born again) the Lord Jesus as my Saviour and Healer.

Since that night, things started to change for the better. I felt a new birth – a new creature and old things slowly passed away. Praise God for over the years the Lord slowly healed me. Now I am almost normal. I went on for further studies and graduated as an electrical engineer.

Later I met my wife and we were married after six years of courtship. We prayed very hard for a normal child. One year after the marriage we were blessed with our first baby girl. The baby was so beautiful, healthy and normal. Praise God! It was a miracle as I still remember that the doctor had told my mother that my children might inherit my skin illness.

When I was 29, my second baby girl was born. Another beautiful, healthy and normal baby! Later the Lord blessed us with a boy – another healthy baby. Praise the Lord!

Years later, I passed my MBA and moved on to receive my doctorate, both from England and became the highest qualified child in our family – a long way from being last in class.

Truly, the Lord has kept me from all harm and He watches over my life, my coming and going both now and forever. I have received from the Lord much more than what I asked for including physical possessions. He blessed me abundantly. Today I run a management consultant firm and also manage and oversee an educational facility (UK and US undergraduate and post-graduate school) in the Philippines.

When I look back at what I was at birth, a physically and mentally retarded child and what I am today, I can only reaffirm and proclaim that the Lord had transformed me from darkness into light, from curses to blessings, from sadness to joy. I will exalt Him high above everything, for He has lifted me out of the depth of darkness. He has made everything beautiful in His time. Praise the Lord.