| A passionate Gift |
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Twenty years ago if someone had asked me whether I believed in God, I wouldn’t have hesitated in saying ‘yes’. Yet, I never gave Him a thought. I never prayed, I never went to church and the only time I opened my Bible was when I slipped in a new flower to press. Then, just before Christmas 1987 both my parents died. I found myself praying; petitioning God to care for them.
we spent Monday evenings struggling with JW doctrine. 
company. Unable to accept wholesale the JW package, we were no longer potential recruits and it became a futile exercise. However, I was reading the Bible at last. I had bought another; my old school one being badly defaced by numerous flowers and leaves it had supplied my craft business over the years. Somehow, this new book was precious. It was quite simply, holy; its pages mysteriously compelling. My appetite for reading the Good Book though raised a lot of questions. There was much I didn’t understand. For my husband too, it was not something he could lay aside. Our son had been baptized in the local parish church. The vicar had since changed, but we decided to contact him anyway. It was a ‘fortuitous’ move. Through him we met a great couple who took us under their wing; patiently explaining Christian principles, praying with us and for us, sharing the Bible, and loaning us the ‘right’ books. I read these avidly. In one, David Watson’s In Search of God, I came across a prayer that spoke of repentance and a living relationship with Jesus. I said the prayer. Bang! Utterly stilled, bathed in a supernatural brightness, diffused with love, those moments of intense encounter changed my world forever. This pivotal experience has shaped my life to date. When we make a commitment, Jesus becomes real and we are never alone again. Acknowledging the immense privilege of being able to share my life with the Son of God, I try to live authentically. Looking back, life ‘without’ God was like living in the shadows. Life with God is about discovering the sunshine. Of course, there have been difficult times: ill-health ( I have a debilitating neurological condition, Dystonia and multiple allergies); moving house (we lost our home and were obliged to part with most of our belongings (due to the allergies); as well as family bereavements and everyday upheavals. For me, this is when I am most acutely aware of a love that transcends circumstances and is able to illuminate even the darkest moments. And there is a difference. There is peace, acceptance, and a love that will not fail. God took my woeful indifference and bestowed a life-giving gift.
God took my woeful indifference and bestowed a life-giving gift.
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Shortly after this, two Jehovah’s Witnesses called. We chatted and I accepted some of their magazines. I read them and found I wanted to know more. I was offered a free Bible study. My husband joined me, and for the next year we spent Monday evenings struggling with JW doctrine. ![p7-338556_1043[1].jpg](images/stories/603/p7-338556_1043[1].jpg "p7-338556_1043[1].jpg")
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