“Love as I have loved.” - Part I
A four part miniseries on the life of Glenn Zhang and God’s powerful love that continues to transform and inspire him.
Speaking of love, we often take for granted that we know how to love the people who matter the most to us. But our actions show otherwise.
Ex-offender Glenn Zhang saw this contradiction in the way he and his friends used to live. He said, “When I was in a gang, they would always say 父母恩情深似海 (debt of gratitude for our parents’ love is as deep as the sea), but we keep hurting them instead. It was only after I came to know Christ that I began to understand what is love－how to care for my parents and show love in my actions, and not merely profess it with my mouth.”
A broken and contrite heart
In his younger days, his addiction to drugs and gambling brought a lot of pain and sorrow to his family. He joined a gang when he was only 14 years old and was jailed 4 times related to drug offences. 身陷毒害有十年，每一天过着醉生梦死的生活.
Thankfully, something changed in Glenn during his last imprisonment in 2007. He was exposed to Christian teaching at the chapel service facilitated by Prison Fellowship Singapore (PFS). He attended initially for some reprieve from the four walls of the cell and the chance to meet with inmates from his gang. However, he found himself increasingly drawn to the songs they sang there, so much so that he began to look forward to the service every Saturday. In those songs, he could understand the themes of repentance and gratitude unto God, which deeply moved and comforted him.
Glenn was further intrigued by the teaching from God’s Word and testimonies of the people around him, when he went to live at The Helping Hand, completing the final six months of his jail term there. The simple way of living gave him space to quieten his spirit and reflect on the life he had led. Particularly, he tried figuring out why his life had become such a mess and disappointment to his loved ones and what was the root cause of it all. He came to understand that it was neither his low self-esteem nor a lack of familial love. It was his own sinful nature.
“I realized it’s because I’m a sinner and I offended God. I came to this state because I needed a Savior. I needed to know and follow Jesus Christ, and it was only through His death and resurrection that I could be saved,” said Glenn. “I saw that even the tax collectors and harlots could repent and believe and were loved by Jesus, and I was very touched.”
Not long after that, the Holy Spirit stirred his heart to respond to an altar call at a gospel gathering. Committing his life to Christ changed his whole orientation in life. He said, “Christ’s blood washed away my sins. I gained hope to start afresh, with assurance that God loves me and that I am not alone.” Upon the firm foundation of God’s love and grace, Glenn found strength to face all kinds of challenges life threw at him.
His character changed so drastically, that even his closest friends were astounded. Said Glenn’s buddy, Ben Chew, “When we first reconnected, I couldn’t get used to the new Glenn. He was totally unlike who he was before. He used to be very wild. So I always teased him and asked him to be himself.”
Blessed to become a blessing
Interestingly enough, it was Glenn who introduced Ben to drugs in their teenage years. After turning their lives over to Christ, they have remained “clean” for the last decade. To Ben, Glenn is a very loyal friend who has always been there for him and his family. He said, “I have learnt a lot from him: how he deals with challenges and takes care of his parents. He has a heart of gold and is very kind to people in need.”
Ben remembered how Glenn would intentionally check on one of their friends who was going through a relapse. “He would wait downstairs at the void deck just to see and follow him, refusing to go home even though it was very late in the night. Such was the extent he would go, to put the interest of others before his own.”
Another of Glenn’s friend, Cary Lim, who works at The Hiding Place, also remembers occasions when Glenn would help him with work, just so that he (Cary) could conduct Bible Study sessions at the Reformative Training Centre. He was impressed by how Glenn would adjust his schedule, in spite of his heavy work commitments, to personally minister to ex-offenders, even driving them around.
“He just wants to give back,” said Cary.
Like Glenn, Cary and Ben are PFS volunteers who have a heart ex-offenders, having struggled with the bondage of drug addiction and emotional turmoil themselves.
“But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8.
“So we love because he first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19.
As they come to know and experience more of God’s love and grace, Glenn and his friends want to give back and live out God’s love for others. They have grown to become better friends, husbands, fathers and sons, all thanks to God who filled their hearts with His love.