God has kept me and given me strength through some very difficult times

Life hasn’t always been easy and my Christian faith has been tested on many occasions. My first baby was born with poorly working kidneys. His illness wasn’t diagnosed until he was four months old, and as a first time mother I wondered why he cried all the time, didn’t gain weight and wouldn’t sleep. I remember lots of evenings crying to God for strength. When he was finally diagnosed and taken into hospital, he needed to gain weight. To do this he needed a naso-gastric tube. I remember Rhys screaming as the nurse struggled to insert the tube into his nose. I ran to the toilet and cried to my God and saviour.

When I returned, the tube was inserted, and all was calm. When looking back at these moments, I’m reminded that God is interested in all of my life and he hears my cries for help.

God has kept me and given me strength through some very difficult times, but I haven’t always been a Christian. My mother is a Christian and took my brother and me to church every week. I loved the stories, singing the songs, and taking part in the annual Christmas services. I thought I knew Jesus, that he was my friend; it was a huge shock when I heard the gospel message for the first time. I was told I was a sinner who deserved hell. Over the next few months the Lord gently worked on my heart and I knew that I needed to ask him for forgiveness for all the wrong things I had thought, said and done. I asked him to be my saviour and my friend. There was no bolt of lightning, but I felt peace in my heart; I knew I belonged to him.

I’ve been blessed with two more children, and Rhys had a kidney transplant this year. Even though at times I’ve been afraid and had little faith, God’s love for me has remained constant, promising to never leave me nor forsake me, no matter what may lie ahead. Psalm 121 says, ‘I will lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’ I have found that to be true.