Paul Daniel
Paul
Daniel
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“God works in mysterious ways” as the saying goes.
Probably my biggest regret is that it took me 54 years to find the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from attending Sunday School and school assemblies, I was not brought up in a practising Christian home. My parents were wonderful; they always put the needs of my brother and I first, and schooled us excellently in generosity, honesty, kindness, love, morals and good manners.
I have always been vaguely aware of a God, the Creator of everything. In my teens, my fiancée and I joined a Methodist church, mainly for the great youth club. We married and were blessed with a son. Being a Scout leader in my mid-twenties meant monthly church parades, though regrettably these were more about maintaining ‘discipline in the ranks’ than absorbing the word of God.
When my marriage ended, I drifted, with little sense of direction or purpose. I married again and was further blessed with a son and daughter. We moved to Leighton Buzzard in 1986, and the following ten years were spent raising our children; instilling in them my parents’ values. However, we sadly then decided to divorce. At this time, I was the furthest detached from God and the Church that I’d ever been.
“God works in mysterious ways” as the saying goes. My son’s friend led first my son, and then me to the doors of Hockliffe Street Baptist Church. From the very first time, I felt something special was changing in my life, although at first, I wasn’t aware of what it was. A ‘Just Looking’ course helped to fill in the blank spaces, but I could not overcome the need to earn His forgiveness for my sins; I despaired of my past and imperfections.
It took a conversation with the minister’s wife after a morning service to set me straight. I was telling her about my troublesome sense of unworthiness. She looked at me with amazement and said, “But don’t you realise that you could never, ever be that good?” She explained that all I had to do was accept that fact and open my heart to receive God’s grace. At that moment, my life really changed. All I had heard began to fall into place. I felt a wonderful sense of relief and peace that has continued ever since.
On reflection, the Church had frequently been a part of my life, but only after that conversation had I found that the fulfilment and purpose that I’d always searched for elsewhere, was right under my nose. I thank the Lord, and those He used for guiding me to Him. My life has altered entirely, wonderfully, and I pray that He will be present forever, not only in my life, but also in the lives of all those I love.