It’s been a very long time since I wrote, but today, on the 17th anniversary of my baptism, on a year when the date of my baptism is, once again, Remembrance Sunday as well as Remembrance Day, it feels like a good time to start again.
I remain always thankful that the church I grew up in, the church I was baptised in, filmed the who service – testimonies, readings and prayers from friends and family, the actual baptism, and the time of prayer and listening to God for the baptism candidates with the things that were shared. They are now in sections (filmed by my Dad on an ipad, as it was replayed on a video player onto a TV!), but they are treasured by me.
This week I have been part of multiple conversations about whole-life discipleship/ Everyday Faith/ whole-life vocation. Key to living and sharing our faith wherever we are is the phrase “asking questions, telling stories”. Our personal stories of how we came to faith, why we continue to believe and the ways in which we have seen God at work in our lives, both in the past and in recent days and weeks, are our own, living testimonies to God’s faithfulness. They are stories that others can relate to, and they are stories that we can confidently tell, and are trusted by those who know us, because we lived through them.
Whilst I grew up in a Christian family, I know the precise moment that I chose to walk with Jesus all my life. I can’t remember the date, because at 6 years old, I wasn’t really aware of them, but this I do remember:
I had been having recurring nightmares, and, as usual, got up and went to my Dad, who put me back to bed and prayed with me. I didn’t go back to sleep, but I lay down and shut my eyes. Then I heard a voice calling my name, I sat up, and Jesus was stood at the end of my bed. He had brown skin, brown eyes, brown hair and a beard, was wearing a purple robe and sandals, and had light shining all around him. He came over to me, and held me close, like a father holds a frightened child, he was saying words in another language that I didn’t understand, but I was no longer afraid. I went back to sleep, and when my parents came in the morning, I announced, with the usual confidence and certainty of a 6 year old “Jesus was here last night!”. My parents asked if I wanted Jesus to always be with me, I said yes, and I prayed with my Dad, asking Jesus into my life.
How we tell these stories will change, as we mature, as our circumstances change and as we listen carefully to what it is in our own stories which will connect with the lives of those around us.
Yesterday, we were asked to share our story in 1 minute (or less!) so I summarised the above story as follows:
“I am a Christian because when I was 6 years old, I met Jesus and discovered that this God takes away fear.”
That doesn’t mean that I will never feel afraid again, when we are in pressured and threatening situations, or situations where our body feels pressured or threatened, the natural, biological reaction is the one that we call “fear”, but what I can be confident of because of my relationship with Jesus is that He is bigger that the things that pressure and threaten us, and Jesus gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).
Today I had the opportunity to ask another person for, and listen to, their story, and then had an opportunity to share mine. From the story that this lady had shared, I knew that my story, as I told it above, would connect with her, as a starting point, and as we shared our stories with each other with love, came the opportunity to address some of the questions that she had about my faith, and vice versa.
In another context, I might share the ways in which I have seen God at work in my life in recent weeks, as I go about my life and my job, or how God has provided for me. For example, despite the stress and timescales, I have been able to find a ground floor flat, with the space that I need, within my budget, within my walking distance of my church and the village shops, and that the timescales worked out that I could end my tenancy and move in to this flat without facing any extra costs around terminating a tenancy early, or needing to pay for two properties at once.
How did you come to follow Jesus? Why do you continue to believe what you believe? How have you seen God at work in your life, and especially in recent weeks? Could you share your stories of God at work in your life with someone this week?
repairerofwalls 