My name is Maxine, I am married to Rob and we have 3 children. I have been a Christian for 19 years. If I was giving my story a title it would be “There are no Guarantees”. This is a phrase that I heard a lot in 2017 and is a phrase that filled me full of fear, uncertainty and hopelessness. In April 2017 I was 11 weeks pregnant with my youngest, Daniel and the pregnancy had been progressing normally until one evening it seemed I was miscarrying. I had an emergency scan the next day and we were relieved to find a heartbeat on the screen. The doctor’s summary statement at the appointment was that everything seemed to be OK at that moment but there were no guarantees.
Following this there were several occasions it seemed again that I was miscarrying. Over those 4 or 5 weeks, we had multiple hospital visits and multiple scans and each time that phrase popped up – there are no guarantees. It’s a phrase that really got under my skin and stayed with me and I guess largely because it was true. There were no guarantees. There were no guarantees that just because there was a heartbeat on the scan at that moment that we were going take home a baby. Life is full of uncertainty. There are no guarantees that we will remain healthy, that jobs will be secure, that families will be stable, that we will get the grades that we need in our exams. There are lots of things that are uncertain in our lives.
However being a Christian and trusting in Jesus is different because it fills my life with certainty. It takes away fears and worries and replaces them with peace. It takes away the hopelessness and
replaces it with a sure and certain hope. Having a relationship with Jesus is full of certainties. Here are just a few of them:
I belong to him – Isaiah 43 v 1 tells me “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.”
I am fully forgiven – Psalm 103 v 12 tells me “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions.”
He will never abandon me – Hebrews 13 v 5 says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
He loves me – Jeremiah 31 v 3 says “I have loved you with an ever lasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
And lastly He is working for my good – Romans 8 v 28 “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
In a life full of endless uncertainties having a relationship with Jesus provides with me unending certainty. It doesn’t mean that life is always easy, it doesn’t mean that life is without difficulty and it doesn’t mean that things will always turn out the way I want them too. However as a Christian I am certain despite my circumstances I have God helping me, upholding me and providing me with all the strength I need.
