As far back as I can remember, I’ve always known that Jesus loved me; I’ve always believed He died for me and was raised again; I’ve always believed He was with me. It wasn’t until shortly before my 17th birthday, however, that I made a conscious decision to accept Him as my Saviour and trust Him with my future. That decision was nurtured through the faithful ministry of Crusader leaders as I recognised the reality of their faith in their lives. I made a profession of faith in my local CofS in Lenzie where I had been brought up and began to attend Kirkintilloch Baptist Church YF which eventually led to my baptism in March 1980.
So what of the intervening 28 years or so since I became a Christian? What do I tell you of the many events and circumstances the Lord has used to shape me?
Do I tell you about the wonderful YF years where we were so eager to learn more that 40/50 young people attended bible studies every Friday night? Those early years were certainly periods of nurture, exploration and excitement.
Do I tell about my move to Dundee after qualifying as a Speech Therapist in 1983? Dundee?? Why you might ask?... and so did I! I did not want to leave home but the guidance and direction was so evident that I knew it was the right course. A couple of years in the east and I could head back to the west. God had other plans and it was 16 years before I left Dundee. As I worked with many people whose lives were turned upside down by stroke and disease such as Parkinson’s and the subsequent effects on their communication, I was more than once reminded that our Lord doesn’t need words to communicate with us – He demonstrated His love to us through Christ’s death on the cross.
Surely I should write about the joys of a music ministry. Through Baptist Youth Choir, Baptist Singers, childrens’ choirs and even a youth musical (ask Kirsty Doyle about that one!!) I have experienced many blessings. Ministering in small churches throughout rural Scotland has been a real privilege and blessing…. but these would take many pages of writing.
What of the years living alone in my wee flat in Dundee? There were many fun times and some difficult times but I KNEW God’s presence in a very real way. I enjoyed being single and appreciated all the benefits in spite of well-meaning Christians who always felt the need at a wedding to say “Don’t worry, Aileen – you’ll be next”. Firstly, I wasn’t worried and secondly with another wedding the following week, divine intervention would have been required.
Well, maybe I should I tell you about the divine intervention which saw a friend of 13 years move to Dundee where romance blossomed. Stuart and I were eventually married in Kirkintilloch in February 1997. No, I had better not say too much about that one!
Or maybe I should write about our move to Larbert in 1999. These have not been easy years. We’ve known unemployment and reliance on God to provide; we’ve experienced new friendships; we’ve known the sadness of miscarriage but the love of many, in particular, some very “Small” children!; we’ve known family illness, bereavement and, earlier this year, the death of my wonderful dad. Maybe I’ll not say too much about these because the keyboard may get wet - although I’m more than willing to share personally my feelings and experiences on all these circumstances.
So, what will I say then? Maybe I should just say that in my 28 years as a Christian the Lord has NEVER let me down. I have learned (usually!!) to be (fairly!) content in whatever situation I find myself and I have the confidence throughout all my experiences to be able to say with the apostle Paul: “For I know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Thanks be to God who opened my eyes at a young age and has gone before me in every circumstance.
