The start of a journey – Darren

A few months ago, I heard about the Tim Mackie podcast series ‘Exploring My Strange Bible’ and felt a nudge to start listening.

As I worked through each episode, I started to realise that the Bible is a bit like a lift-the-flap book – you can take the words and stories at face value, or you can ‘lift the flap’ and dig deeper into what is behind each page. I also started to think about what it really meant for me to be intentional about my relationship with God. It’s not just about making time to read the bible or pray, it’s also about giving my life to God every day and laying my time before him, becoming a witness to what the Holy Spirit is doing through me. I was reminded of Jesus’ relationship with the disciples, and how he chose to share life with them; not just telling them how to live their life in relationship with God but really showing them what it meant.

As God spoke to me through the podcast, I started to notice the Holy Spirit changing the way I interact with patients in my job as an Occupational Therapist. My role can be fast paced and there’s pressure to quickly deal with each patient. Instead I now feel able to slow down and really listen to where people are at and their emotional pain as well as physical. As I take the time to process what people are telling me, I’m also able to allow God to speak through me.

For me, renewing my covenant with God has meant a closer relationship with Him, which is reflected in my interactions with others. I feel like I’m at the start of an exciting journey.