Barry liddle - Key Decisions in Life

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We have just been to see our friend's grave.  At 63, she was a little younger than I am now!  It makes you think!  Life is short at best.  What are we doing with our lives?  What is the purpose of it all?  When we look back, we can all see key things that changed the direction of our lives.  Here are some examples from my life.

When I was 16 I discovered through a friend, that being a Christian did not just mean putting C of E or some other label down on forms that asked your religion.  It meant that you accepted the statements in the Bible, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and … be saved”.  I did just that!  It changed the direction of my life and 48 years later I have no regrets.

The next most momentous thing in my life was marriage, a major decision and commitment, but again 41 years later I have no regrets about marrying Jessica Anne.  We bought our first house from an elderly gentleman in our church.  When I told him he was selling it far too cheaply, he said, “What do I want with money; I have enough.”  So we thanked God for his goodness and promised the Lord we would use our home for Him which we have tried to do ever since.  During the first 10 years of our marriage we were involved in Sunday schools, youth work and children's summer camps.  On arriving home from a girls' camp one summer, Jessica said, “We have 10 girls coming for tea tomorrow!” I thought she was crazy, but 10 girls came and that was just the beginning.  Sunday teas grew to 20-30 children and teenagers every week who all came with us to the evening service at the church just down the road.  Some of them are still in touch with us today.

In 1972 we moved to a larger house with Jessica's mother where we had lodgers, we fostered, we had dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits and a donkey.  We looked after nieces and nephews and their friends in the holidays.  We looked after the elderly and the dying.  Dying!  We are back to where we started.  Life is so short.

What have been the milestones and key decisions in your life?  The most life-changing decision we can make is to confess our wrongdoing to God and have faith that Jesus has died in our place.  It is this faith in God's Son that changes our lives forever.

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