My early life had no contact with anything to do with Christianity, although my late mother attended a local non-denominational chapel.
Pat and I were married in 1974 and set about building our life together. Our son was born in 1980.
Not long after getting married my wife started having serious and prolonged back problems, and life was starting to get difficult for Pat. There was a possibility that this could be a long-term disability which could affect our future.
By this time our little boy was of school age, and my father had recently died which left me to run our small business on my own. With a sick wife, a young son and trying to cope with a growing business, whilst still grieving for my father, everything started to take its toll on my ability to “keep all the balls in the air”.
Pat was a practising Catholic, but that made little difference to my life. At the age of 43 I was at the “end of my tether”, not knowing how to cope with all the problems in our lives.
While at work one summer’s afternoon at a new customer’s house whom I knew to be a Christian (whatever that meant), while sitting in her garden with my head in my hands, I finally came to the end of myself. The lady found me sitting there and asked me what was wrong. I confided in her that I was in rather a bad state. She asked me into her kitchen for a cup of coffee and asked me if she could pray for me. “Of course you can”. I was willing to try anything.
She started praying for me and telling me about someone called Jesus and how, He had been crucified to pay the price for my sin, and that had been raised to life three days later. She said that if I put my trust in Him, and turned from my sin, my life would change completely. She further asked me if I was prepared to pray a simple prayer and ask Jesus to be Lord of my life, which I willingly did.
I felt a power surge through me and the burden which I had been trying to carry on my own suddenly lifted from my shoulders. On my drive home everything seemed different; the colour of the fields were vibrant green; the trees and the flowers had never looked so amazing?
What had happened to me? On that Summer’s afternoon I had been miraculously Born Again!
My Christian life has continued to develop over the years, Our troubles didn’t suddenly disappear, Jesus didn’t promise that they would, but with the help of God’s word and the Holy Spirit, the storms of life are now shared with Him.
I am still a sinner, but now a redeemed sinner, saved by His grace. I am so grateful that when He convicts me of sin in my life and as I acknowledge this and turn from it, God forgives me.
Your response?
If you want to think more about what Christmas should mean, and how to trust in Jesus, we have two resources that might help. The first is a ‘help yourself’ resource called The Four Points. On this website you can listen to four short videos which tell you more about how to come to know Jesus as your saviour. The second is a course you can join – Hope Explored.