I signed up for the Alpha Course looking
for answers:
“Is there more to life than this? How can we have faith? Who is Jesus?
I also signed up to meet new people and be
integrated into the family of the church.
These answers were all found; I met many new folk and was welcomed to BMC
with open arms. What I did not expect was that I would meet
the best friend I would ever share my life with. The Holy Spirit.
I was struggling with the fact that my
youngest daughter had been a run-away since she was 16 after I went through a
very nasty divorce. She would re-appear,
stay with us for a while, then disappear again. Often we did not know where she
was for days/months.
At the same time my eldest daughter was
growing up and taking the plunge of leaving home and moving into her own place.
This was absolutely devastating for
me. The 2 young people that I had
brought up on my own, and shared my life with were gone!! I was totally addicted to my children and
couldn’t function without them. I was
depressed, sad all the time and had no desire to go on living.
My wonderful husband Rob, who many of you
know, has been a pillar of strength to me, but he also, at times, had no
answers.
The Holy Spirit gave me the strength to
understand that my children are individuals and I had to learn to let them go
and begin their own lives without me. I
had, after all, equipped them for life.
I learnt how to pray, to ask God to give me
strength to continue loving them, but set them free.
After many agonizing months I have managed
to live without being “tied to their apron strings” They have both developed into wonderful happy
young adults, who have their own lives and their own relationships. The relationship between my youngest & I
is better than it ever was before. Rob &
I are so proud of both of them.
I often sit alone in my garden during quiet
time, knowing that my girls are safe and happy and that I will never feel that
desperate loneliness again, as I am not alone. The Holy Spirit is and will
always be with me.
I look so forward to facilitating Alpha and
pray that you will find the peace of heart that I did, no matter what you are
going through at this time. - Di Heath