Ruth Hutchison
Ruth
Hutchison
Ruth and her family live in Linslade. Her teenage children go to local schools and Ruth herself works with children in a local lower school.
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...imagine my outrage when, aged 11, a school friend from a Christian family told me that being a Christian wasn’t about being ‘good’, but having a friendship with Jesus.
I was brought up in a family where we were taught, and believed, that we were pretty ‘good’ people, and that that made us Christians. None of us did anything particularly ‘bad’ and we all just got on with our lives.
Having that background, imagine my outrage when, aged 11, a school friend from a Christian family told me that being a Christian wasn’t about being ‘good’, but having a friendship with Jesus. How dare she, or God, or the Bible, tell me that I wasn’t good enough!
For the next 6 years or so, I adamantly fought, in my head and in arguments with Christians, against what the Bible said, completely disbelieving that I was a sinner. Despite my hostility, however, I was strangely intrigued, and started going to my friend’s church on Sundays, to the youth group, spending time with many of the families there, who were so welcoming to me even though I often picked arguments with their faith.
After those tiring years, age 17, God made me ‘give in’, and I first understood that Jesus took away my sin when He died on the cross. It was a bit of a reluctant acceptance of myself as a sinner, to be honest, and the next two decades were ones perhaps marked more with getting on with it, rather than ones of much joy.
I’m glad to say that over the last 10 years, although there have been some extremely dark times where I’ve tried very hard to get away from God, He has shown me great things and helped me to accept things that I previously didn’t want to.
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I saw afresh how, on the cross, Jesus willingly took away all of that stuff that God can’t have anything to do with – my warped attitudes towards Him, the lies in my head that I’d made up about Him, the arrogance, pride ad selfishness – all that stuff that so messes up the amazing plan that He has for the people He has so lovingly made.”
It became clear in my mind that my desire for independence and wanting to do things ‘my way’ was pretty much the same as me telling a good God that I thought His ways were pretty rubbish and mine were much better, so I’d do things my way, thank you very much. That’s what sin was, and I was able to accept that. It was that which needed forgiving, and He wanted to forgive me, welcome me, and rebuild me as a child in His family!
And it was then that I saw afresh how, on the cross, Jesus willingly took away all of that stuff that God can’t have anything to do with – my warped attitude towards Him, the lies in my head that I’d made up about Him, the arrogance, pride and selfishness -all that stuff that so messes up the amazing plan that He has for the people He has so lovingly made – He got rid of it all! For me! And He’ll very gladly do the same for you.