Real Life, Real People

Be inspired by these ordinary people who have extraordinary stories. Wherever you are in life, every story in here is sure to give you hope!

Finding Purpose

Full-time under 30: Dropping out of university for my mental health, God was my way maker

“You would need to pay an outstanding amount of S$XXXXX.XX for the withdrawal.” I was stunned. Staring at the email from the Office of Admission, I wondered whether I was making the right...

Real Life, Real People

How I found freedom from my 6-year drug addiction

My mum was a tiger mum and the sole breadwinner of our household, hence she was always busy with work. My stay-at-home dad was pretty silent and very particular about cleanliness, so he would scold...

Real Life, Real People

Labelled “hopeless” and “incorrigible”, these young men broke free from crime and drugs

Organised by local halfway house The New Charis Mission (TNCM), the Unlabelled Run is an annual 5km fun run and 10km competitive run that advocates for the removal of prejudicial labels in our...

Mental Health

I was anxious, depressed and thinking of giving up… but God gave me a miracle

I chose to use my actual name to show you that there is a real person behind this story, and you don’t have to be ashamed of what you’re struggling with. Eight months after I started...

Personalities

“Achievement is excellence”: The lie that many athletes believe

One of the most dangerous lies which athletes believe is that achievement is excellence. I personally believed this lie for years. What is winning or losing? TeamSG’s Angelica See on missing...

Secondary

A good education isn’t about grades

Ahead of this month’s Thir.st Youth Night that’s all about education, we sat down with PETER TAN, a four-decade veteran educator who has served as a principal for 24 years across schools...

Mental Health

Struggling with body image, I couldn’t see how I was fearfully and wonderfully made

Primary School was where it all started. Wah, Abigail! You’re so fat leh! This one comment struck me in Primary 4, when a boy exclaimed it in front of the whole class. It stung.  That was when I...

Personalities

Yeo Jia Min: Talent is God’s gift to us, how we use it is our gift to Him

Going into this year’s SEA Games, Yeo Jia Min wrestled with mixed feelings; she was not going to take part in the individual event despite her really wanting to.  Midway through SEA Games, she,...

Personalities

“Whether God gives or takes, He is still sovereign and good”: SEA Games 2023 debutant Shawn Chia

I’ve always been active in sports since young. I enjoy playing a variety of sports but running is one of the sports that I enjoy the most. My running journey started in secondary school when I...