Alison Ingram

I was brought up very happily in a Christian household but as often happens around the age of 15 I began to drift away - finding that God did not seem very relevant to my life - and so I continued for many years being fairly successful at ignoring the Lord.

But as I have discovered over the years God's timing is always perfect. When my eldest daughter began primary school the Lord brought alongside me another young mum (Sonie) and after quite a lot of gentle prodding from the Lord and good friendship from Sonie she invited me to the Community Church. All this happened a little while before my family life became very difficult and we faced some seemingly insurmoutable problems. At that time the one command the Lord kept giving me was "be still and know that I am God." Now, my family know me as a world class panicker and yet I knew that this time I had to keep still in body and mind and draw my strength from the Lord until things passed. I learned that the Lord sometimes has to put you on your back before you will look him in the face.

Even so I still remained a farly ineffectual Christian, taking but not giving much back, living a life of compromise; never quite sure of where I fitted in or satisfied with what I was doing. That's how it stayed until a few years ago when I felt the Lord challenging me to decide how I wanted the rest of my life to be. I realised that I really did want Jesus at the centre of my life and in 2008 I took the huge step of openly committing my life to Jesus and, together with my daughter Georgina and our friend Megan, was baptised. That was a blessed and joyous day. Life continues to throw up challenges and changes (the Lord does not promise us an easy life) but I know that I never have to face anything on my own. I know that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be. I am contented and satisfied with no more 'what ifs' or regrets. He is there to guide me and strengthen me; to celebrate with me in good times and comfort me in bad times and His unconditional love continues to amaze me.

You can share that amazing day in October, 2008 when Alison, Georgina and Megan made that public profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - just go to Photos.