“My favourite passage in the Bible is in Matthew 25. It’s about the virgins and the oil. I’ve always wondered what the oil represents. I don’t want to be part of the five that don’t get in. So I’ve asked a lot of people what they think. Some people think the oil is the Holy Spirit. But what does that mean? I find it interesting that they were virgins. They were trying to choose the right thing, yet 50 per cent of them didn’t make it. The only difference is that five of them had the oil … so they could light the path to the end. And Jesus also said that ‘…the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.’ (Matthew 24:12-13). So I’m thinking that maybe the oil is love – the love for God and for people and for myself. I know that God is love. So maybe the oil represents love. And I want that. I have a longing for more of God’s love. And Jesus also said we can keep seeking and asking and knocking, so that’s what I do. I meet with people who want the same thing. I know I can’t do it by myself. When I find people like that, I journey with them, and I pray with them. We encourage each other in our faith – we sharpen each other. And that’s the most important thing. We need to hang in there till the end, to endure, but we need each other to do that.”

Ann-Marie’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.