If you’d been listening on our house phone, you’d have heard the conversation for yourself. It was the day I’d been ringing around for home insurance.
The phone rang. I picked it up.
‘Hello, is that Mr Woodward?’
‘Yes, it is’.
‘Mr Woodward, this is More Than Insure. Do you have building and contents insurance?’
‘Yes, we do; in fact, ours is due. I’ve been ringing round for quotes today.’
‘Would you like us to give you a quote too?’
‘Okay then, why not?’
She was firing questions, filling in the application and then a few minutes in, she said, ‘Mr Woodward, do you have any criminal convictions?’
‘Well, I do but they are all spent; they were years ago.’
‘It doesn’t matter if they’re spent, Mr Woodward; before we can insure you with More Than Insure, we need to know what they are.’
‘Well, they are so long ago; I don’t think I can remember them all. Err, theft, GBH, assault, going equipped.’
Then she said, ‘Have you ever been in prison, Mr Woodward?’
‘Errm yes, a few times.’
‘What have you been in prison for, Mr Woodward?’
‘Possession of heroin…’
And before I could say anything else, she said, ‘Have you ever taken drugs, Mr Woodward?’
‘Errm yes.’
‘What kind of drugs?’
‘Well, cannabis, amphetamines, LSD, cocaine, heroin.’
‘So, you’ve been on heroin, Mr Woodward?’
‘Yes, I was on it for 15 years.’
Then I said, ‘I sound really bad, don’t I? I am reformed now though. I’ve even written a book about it.’
‘What’s the book called Mr Woodward?’
‘Once an Addict.’
She said, ‘That sounds really interesting; I might get a copy and read it, but because you’ve been done for theft, GBH, assault and going equipped and because you’ve been in prison and you’ve been a heroin addict, we can’t move forward with the application because you are uninsurable with More Than Insure!’
They refused to insure me because of my past. I was rejected!
Have you been rejected? Have things gone on in your past that have caused rejection? Do you know that God will never reject you?
It doesn’t matter whether you have a criminal record, whether you’ve been in prison or whether you’ve taken drugs, God accepts you!!
God says in the Bible, ‘Whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.’
It could be that if you were asked the same questions by the lady from More Than Insure, you could have honestly said, ‘No, I’ve not got a criminal record; no, I’ve never been in prison or taken drugs.’ They would have moved forward with the application and accepted you and given you insurance. But despite that, you could still feel rejection because of something that has gone on in your past.
Listen: God accepts you! In his eyes, you are more than insurable! You just need to come to him.
Barry