Barbara’s story | Walking inside the church, age 5

“Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’” (Matt 11:28)

“I’ve always wanted to step inside the door of a church. I’ve wanted it since I was 4 years old. And finally, two years ago, I stepped inside this church, age 57!

At 4 years old, I used to come to this church with my parents. I was born here in Warren, and we used to go to church here, but when I was 5, we moved to Sydney, and I didn’t go to church after that. Both my parents worked full-time, and my siblings were a lot older than me, so I was left alone a lot.

The years passed. I got married and my husband wasn’t a Christian which meant he didn’t want to go to church. I was always worried about suggesting it, but I still had a strong feeling I wanted to be in church with God. It was a very powerful feeling!

A few years ago, my daughter gave me a phone. I decided to go to church online. But it wasn’t good. The church was like a cult. It was a very scary time. They were very manipulative, and they always wanted money. I gave them money, but I was still scared.

Then two years ago, I was being bullied at work. I wasn’t coping at all. All of a sudden, I fell violently ill at home – pain in my head and vomiting. I went to hospital, and that’s when I started having seizures. They flew me to Sydney, but they couldn’t do anything. I had more seizures at work, so they medically retired me.

That’s when I decided to go to church. I was 57 by then… and for the first time, I walked inside the door of this church in Warren. It felt like home. It was very hard, and it took a lot of courage, but it was good. I felt a lot of peace and love as soon as I walked inside. I started to make friends, and I heard about Jesus. I started to pray to God. I started to see that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour and King! It really got me through a hard time. It was the best thing I ever did!

I’m still having seizures about once a week and the doctors can’t do anything for me. It means I can’t drive a car or ride a bike, and I can’t be out on my own. It’s very hard. I’ve had seizures everywhere, in the shops, at church, at the hairdressers. I try to lie down, or I fall down, and people get me pillows.

But God has helped me a lot. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and about God. I was very isolated and negative before. Now I have friends, and I trust in God. My husband doesn’t come to church with me but he’s all for it now. He drops me off and picks me up. He even prays with me, sometimes all night! He wrote out the Lord’s Prayer for me. At the moment, I’m waiting for an appointment at the seizure clinic in Sydney. I hope they’ll be able to help me. In the meantime, I say this prayer all the time, ‘Dear Lord, I know that you want me to be well in mind, body, soul and spirit. Please cover me with your most precious blood of your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ – from the top of my head to the souls of my feet… and remove anything that does not belong in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.’

I also say the Lord’s Prayer. I know that God is helping me! Now I want to tell people, walk in the door of the church! Don’t look to your phone. Walk in the door of a church. It’s the best thing you’ll ever do!”

Barbara’s story is part of the Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed.

Visit Koorong to purchase Naomi’s Faith Stories book, Every Moment, Everywhere: https://koorong.com/everymoment