As I look back over the past year, I’m brought to a place of reflection. Some things I’d taken for granted were torn from me, life changed, and through it, I had to trust God that his plan was the best plan. I’ve always been one to ‘hold things loosely’, ‘go with the flow’, and ‘fly by the seat of my pants’; I don’t need to know everything,  just the next step and to go where the Holy Spirit leads, and keep trusting! My health was continually being challenged as a result of a traffic collision the previous year, when a juggernaut crashed  into me, sending me spinning across the motorway in several directions! This left me with a feeling of pressure in my head, so I had to rest a lot.  In God’s Word it says in Romans 8v28:

 ‘And we know that all things work together for good for those that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.’

 I love God, and I trust Him to work all things out, and I know that He has a purpose for me.  As it turns out, that motorway collision was a turning point. I felt that I had been brought near to death in a moment, and I  started to think about my life ahead and to really seek God about my future.  With a renewed sense of urgency, I remember asking God:

 What do you want me to do?

 Where do you want me to go?  

Who do you want me to reach?

Shortly after this, during an Evangelism Team meeting,  God gave me a vision: I was walking into a prison, carrying only a Bible. This reignited a desire to support prisoners, and led to joining Prison Fellowship, going in to a Humberside Prison chapel, and later,  joining Daylight and supporting Bible studies.. Awesome!  

There’s nothing like being in the centre of Gods Will and finding your true identity in Him.  I’d encourage anyone seeking to find God’s plan for their lives, that your identity is found in Him and in the pursuit of His Presence, and  that you don’t need to know everything; sometimes it’s just the next step that He reveals.  Just keep walking in it, step by step.

A friend gave me a copy of Barry’s book: Once an Addict, and I found out about Proclaim Trust and the Fixed conference.  I was sold! I went along and loved it, meeting some awesome people and hearing some amazing stories. That was when I decided to put my name down for Your Story Reframed .  

God always prepares us in advance for the things he has for us. So we should not worry, just allow Him to lead us.  He had been doing a work in me, healing some of my past experiences, helping me to re-live them, write about them,  and let Him show me how present he was in each situation, and how he let me escape from every one of them. It was a heart wrenching but ultimately healing experience. This prepared me for doing my Story. Even though I didn’t know I would be doing anything like that,  God did! He knows what’s up ahead for us, what He has for us to do, and He will bring us to a place of readiness.  We just need to be open to Him and trust Him.  

As I reflect on the year,  I see it’s been an incredible and challenging journey. I’ve learnt a lot, about myself and others.  Everybody has a story to tell,  and every story is precious. Have you thought about telling yours?  

I’m reminded of Jesus’ command to preach the Gospel in Mark 16v15:

‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’

Wherever God has placed you, your story is waiting to be told.  Go and tell it!

Bella

Bella Daly is a member of Huddersfield Christian Fellowship. She is currently on our Your Story Reframed course and recently joined the team as one of our Operations Assistants.