The Nurses' Pulse: Navigating Discipleship
Share with us your personal journey in knowing Christ and The Navigators.
Jia Xin
I came from a non-Christian family and came to know Christ through my spiritual mentor, who shared the gospel with me during my second year on campus.
Jia Xin and her mentor (left) labouring together
When I first entered the Pharmacy Science polytechnic program, I desired three things: academic achievement, money, and friends. It seemed like everyone in the world was chasing after these things to be happy and satisfied, so I thought I needed them too.
In my first year, I scored a perfect grade point average (GPA), made the Dean’s list, and received a scholarship that provided monetary awards. I also earned money working part-time as a clinic assistant. I had many friends in school, held leadership positions in both internal and external co-curricular activities, and was given opportunities to attend various inter-polytechnic and overseas leadership programs. On top of that, my family was doing well, and I was in a relationship. It felt like I had everything I wanted in life, and that life was good.
But after achieving all these things and striving hard to maintain them, I began to question—“So what now?” I had achieved my goals, but what was next? "What’s the purpose of my life?" I began to dread waking up each day, having lost the motivation to strive for those achievements when I realized that all of these would come to an end when I passed away.
I struggled with these thoughts for about six months to a year and even began entertaining suicidal thoughts. I tried sharing my feelings with close friends, but none of them could relate or understand why I felt suicidal when it seemed like I was living a good life.
My life changed after I met my mentor who shared the gospel with me. My heart was open and ready to receive Jesus. Jesus came to give me life, and He promised that I could have it to the full.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
— John 10:10
Just as I could not fully explain the emptiness I had felt before, I could not fully explain the fullness I felt in my heart when my mentor pointed me to God and the Scriptures through our weekly one-on-one meetings. Since then, my mentor has been helping me grow in my faith.
Shi Xin
I am a third-generation Christian in my family. Despite my background, I was not assured of my salvation and was afraid of death. I had many misunderstandings about God and viewed Him as a strict Father who would punish anyone who disobeyed His commands. When I forgot to pray before sleeping, I would be gripped by my guilt and would plead the next day for His mercy and grace.
I also struggled to enjoy reading God’s Word. To me, the Bible was full of tedious commands and rules, which I felt were impossible for a sinner to fulfil. After my grandmother passed away, my fear of death intensified.
In 2015, I came to Singapore to study nursing after graduating from secondary school back in Malaysia.
It was on my school campus that I met my mentor. When I shared with her my struggle of not being able to enjoy my identity as a Christian, she shared that “If we truly understand God’s love, we will live our lives willingly for Him.”
She also shared the Bridge to Life with me and has since been faithfully following up with me. She also went through a material called “Lessons of Assurance” with me. It helped me to understand God's assurance in Ephesians 2:8-9 that, although no one deserves salvation, God gives it to us freely by His grace. The only way to receive it is to believe in Jesus.
God loves me so much and knew I had been living a life of uncertainty and fear of death. He gave me the assurance of His love through His Word.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
— Ephesians 2:8-9
What motivated you to get involved in life-on-life discipleship among the students or young people?
Jia Xin
In their time as students, most have the availability of time and open hearts to be trained before they take on more responsibilities as they enter the workforce and progress through life stages. The life-on-life discipleship I received as a student changed my entire life path—from living aimlessly to desiring to live my temporal life for His eternal Kingdom.
This transformation motivated me also to help students know the Lord personally and bear fruit in their formative years.
During one session of extended fellowship time with the Lord, He gave me a life promise from Isaiah 43:4:
Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life.
— Isaiah 43:4
It is because I am precious and honored in His sight and because He loves me that He has used the lives of my spiritual leaders to invest time and energy in helping me know the Lord and make Him known. And now, because I am precious and honored in His sight and because He loves me, He will also use my temporal life in exchange for eternity—through reaping souls and reaching nations, one faithful person at a time.
Shi Xin
I am thankful to God for leading me to the Navigators fellowship which focuses on life-on-life discipleship. I have experienced first-hand how my mentor invested her life in me by walking alongside me from my time as a student until now as a working adult. Her guidance helped me deepen my walk with God and allowed me to grow as a follower of Christ who shares His heart. My mentor’s life showed me the value of life-on-life discipleship, inspiring me to do the same for other students.
A special moment of Shi Xin with her mentor.
How has the discipleship training impacted the way you live and
disciple among the lost as a nurse?
Jia Xin
I am thankful for the spiritual disciplines built up during my student years that have become my daily staples. These disciplines have helped me continue walking with the Lord despite the challenges of nursing shift work and fatigue.
Initially, I struggled in my walk with God until He changed my definition of rest through Matthew 11:28-29. It was counter-intuitive to me that I would feel more rested when I surrendered sleep to spend time to rest in the Lord and with His people. It took me a year to learn to live this out by faith and experience the spiritual rest that only comes from spending time with the Lord.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
— Matthew 11:28-29
I held on to Matthew 6:33 throughout my undergraduate studies and learned to stretch myself and pay the cost to prioritize my time in the Word and fellowship above my studies and other desires. This has helped me continue to do the same as I transitioned to being a nurse, discerning how to make time to be with God and His people.
Life together in my spiritual community has been crucial in keeping me going. What a privilege that regardless of my shift, I have the opportunity to be in fellowship and be encouraged, loved, and shown grace. They often buy me my favourite snacks to encourage me. The small cards, words of encouragement, and their physical presence have helped me see that we are all on the journey of life-on-life discipleship together, pouring our lives unto God and His people.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.
— Matthew 6:33
Shi Xin
By God’s grace and through the spiritual community I am in, I have learned to make intentional effort to be available for fellowship despite my busy work schedule. When I was younger, I was surprised to see a fellow believer, also a nurse, at our fellowship. As nurses, we are typically required to work on weekends and public holidays. Inspired by her example of adjusting her work schedule to avoid conflicts, I have also made an effort to be available for our gatherings, outreach, and Bible studies.
I’m also very thankful to my spiritual leaders for being understanding towards nurses. They adjusted the timings of our gatherings to be “nurse-friendly”, allowing us to engage in regular Bible study after our shifts.
Additionally, I was able to bring light and hope in my workplace, drawing from what I have learnt from my spiritual community over the years. I am thankful to God for giving me an opportunity to comfort people in my workplace who had been anxious and fearful of death, just as I once was, and point them to the hope I have.
Shi Xin and her Bible study group: where faith and friendship flourish!
Share with us experiences where you share about Christ to others, and disciple others, life-on-life, in your workplace, or on campus to raise generations of labourers?
Jia Xin
Being a nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) has also allowed me the privacy to care for my patients on a one-to-one basis. There were many occasions when I prayed to be the caregiver present for patients nearing the end of their lives, so I could offer them personal care and support during their final moments. And the Lord answered my prayers.
My work promise verse has helped me be alert to be a living testimony for Christ:
Therefore, let your light shine before men that they may
see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
— Matthew 5:16
Senior nurses can sometimes be harsh on juniors when they make mistakes, and gossip can be prevalent. God has been training my character of forbearance as I learn to show kindness and grace to newer nurses at work while also refraining from gossiping.
I also thank God for the opportunity to work in various nursing departments like the operating theatre, general ward, and ICU. The experiences of working together with my colleagues have given more opportunities for spiritual conversations and the sharing of the love of God with some of them.
Building bridges: Jia Xin having spiritual exchange with A,
her colleague from Operating Theatre (left)
Outside of work, I continue to labour alongside fellow labourers to invest in the lives of female students.
P was one of the girls from nursing whom I led to Christ in 2019 when she was a student. I have been following up with her ever since. Despite having a complicated family background, by the grace of God, she has grown and is now learning to labour for Christ.
Shi Xin
I thank God for His grace in allowing me to be involved in the lives of people.
I often share with students what I have learned from my job as a nurse and how I have witnessed the fragility of life and the pain and suffering that patients experience. Despite all the invasive procedures and concentrated drugs, doctors can only prolong their lives. Ultimately, it is only through Christ that our eternal life is secured.
I met ZQ with a broken family background and I continued to follow up on her and supported her throughout her studies. However, when her internship began, it became challenging to stay in touch due to her long working hours and her reluctance to engage in spiritual matters.
When I expressed to my mentor how I had been feeling discouraged about discipling this sister, my mentor took the initiative to arrange a meeting with ZQ. I was impressed by my mentor's persistent spirit and her ability to see the potential in every individual.
I thank God for the breakthrough when ZQ came to the birthday celebration we organized for her. It was also during this celebration that she opened up to us and shared about her painful past in her family.
God corrected my heart through this experience, showing me that He never gives up on people. I cannot imagine what would have happened if I had given up on discipling her. Since then, she has been consistently making herself available for fellowship and has even started helping another girl grow in her walk with God.
As I disciple ZQ, Galatians 6:9 repeatedly inspires me, as I learned that God is the One who pursues His people until they return to Him wholeheartedly:
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
What is your hope or aspiration for the future?
Jia Xin
During my Nursing undergraduate studies, I aspired to excel in that field and aimed to pursue a Master of Nursing to become an Advanced Practice Nurse. These nurses possess an expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for extended practice.
As I meditated on my promise verse, Matthew 6:33, God helped me see that I belong to His Kingdom; that is why I am called to put His Kingdom and His Righteousness first. I no longer belong to the world, and I shall not cling to the world norms of climbing the career ladder.
This realization has given me a clearer vision for my future—to continue engaging in this work of disciple-making. Having tasted the emptiness of the world’s pleasures, I know I do not want to live life apart from God (1 John 2:15-16).
Though I am not sure what exactly He has planned for me, I hold on to John 15:16, knowing that I’m called to bear fruit—fruit that will last. I look forward to what God has for me!
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful men, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
— 1 John 2:15-16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
— John 15:16
Shi Xin
There was a period in my life when I was very discouraged by my discipleship journey. It was then that God encouraged me with Isaiah 58:10-12:
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
God encouraged me that as long as I am willing to spend myself for the hungry and the oppressed, He will satisfy me and meet all my needs.
I also hold onto John 21 in my discipleship journey, where Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me more than these?” Each time Peter replied that he loved Him, Jesus told Peter to feed and take care of His sheep. I learned that Jesus can only entrust His sheep to those who love Him. Jesus also said to Peter,
“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
— John 21:22
Through this, God challenged me that the way to love Him and follow Him is to involve myself in discipling among the lost. I hope that I can continue to love and follow Jesus by sharing His compassion for the lost and fulfilling His Great Commission to make disciples!
About Jia Xin
Jia Xin works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), caring for critically ill patients and responding to medical emergencies. She is currently serving in the campus ministry.
About Shi Xin
Shi Xin works in a specialised ward that includes both medical high dependency and acute stroke units. She is presently serving in the campus ministry.