George
is now well on in years. The life story he tells below reveals what
many have also come to realise, that through the many tough years, God
had been there supporting and upholding us. George doesn't give us the
details of his conversion (many years back now) but just the sudden
awareness of 'The Presence' that had been there all those years without
him realising it. As we seek to keep these testimonies anonymous we
have taken out the names but the truth is still clearly here for all
to see. Today the light and love of Jesus shines through this lovely,
elderly man and his lovely, elderly wife.
1926
was my birth, hard times I understand, difficult years, strikes, no
work, but my father always provided. Hard working and loving was my
mother, stretched to the limit, yet somehow always managing to make
ends meet. Together they shared and cared. Through my school years nothing
really special happened, but somehow, there always seemed to be something
leading me.
As
1939 approached, my father enlisted in the army. There were by this
time four of us children; my sister, the eldest, and two younger brothers.
My father said he wanted to get the war over before we were old enough
to be called to fight. This was not to be so. From the age of fourteen
to eighteen I had an assortment of jobs with all the temptations of
youth, which were many during those early war years! Not to go into
detail, but they were there, during the time of the blitz. There were
many in those days who prayed, no doubt, indeed understood the full
meaning of prayer. It wasn't for me. At eighteen I was called to do
my National Service, towards the end of my training I had to jump from
a first floor level. I hesitated. The sergeant said jump, so I did.
The result - I broke my ankle, and because of this I missed the next
draft to France and into Germany. I stayed in Britain until the end
of the war.
Soon
after I was shipped over to France, through to Italy. Before leaving
home my father said to me, there will be many temptations abroad, brothels
and the like, look, but don't touch! My Father wasn't a Christian, to
my knowledge, but he cared, and he loved. I served in the Middle East
through Greece, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan. As my father said, there were
very many temptations. In Palestine things were difficult at times.
On one occasion though, we were volunteered, to visit Jerusalem. To
be honest, at the time I did not appreciate this. Looking back I feel
I was given an experience
that was to serve me later in life. During my army service, there were
many tests of endurance and strength, not always of the physical kind.
On
demob in 1948, my father and myself decided to go into business. We
borrowed £100 and bought a small shoe repair shop. My father carried
on with his job as a bus driver until the shop became established. We
found there was not sufficient trade there, and so we opened another
shop close by but in the main thoroughfare. We spent long hours and
the labour was hard.
1950
was the year I married; we first met when I was on leave from the army.
Before I went abroad we became close. It wasn't until I came home that
we planned to marry. Times were very hard, not between the two of us,
but the pressures of business and long working hours, and our first
child we lost at birth. A very testing time, which we overcame.
On
May 7th 1953 our daughter arrived, not this time to pass us by, followed
by our first son, then our second, to make our family of five. To be
honest I saw very little of our children in their early years, through
working long hours, but the sheer joy of having them, gave me many hours
of pleasure, years of love and guidance. Again the guidance shows itself,
during the following years.
At
times things were very difficult at the shop; my father not the easiest
of people to work with, and I needed a lot of tolerance to keep the
peace. This began to wear me down. In 1966 my mother died. For me I
had lost a mother and also a dear friend; to me she showed nothing but
love, so now I had to show strength. I didn't know where it came from
to carry us through, but it had left its mark on me.
My
sister died 1969, while I was in hospital. I had had a breakdown. The
pressure was really on. After I left hospital I had decisions to make
to make. First I had to face my father; the details I think are better
left out. Anyway the partnership dissolved. Then I decided what I wanted
from life. My needs have never been great, I've never wanted material
things. About this time our elder son entered the business and over
the years proved a worthy craftsman. We progressed quite well, and as
time went on, we spread our wings into other areas of retailing, but
sadly with the passing of time and changes in the economic climate and
shopping habits, we had to really fight to save our business.
First to go was our son, which was heartbreaking to do, to no avail.
Finally, we had to close the doors. We started with nothing, we ended
with nothing, but we had a most precious thing - our love! Many years
had passed, and I had come through it all, years of struggle and war;
what next?
Then
I saw written on the face our daughter-in-law a radiance that was Jesus.
God was showing Himself to me. I was seeing the Lord for the first time.
He had been supporting me for sixty years. I didn't know he was there.
Now I know!
Well
there's George's story, one that possibly resonates with many older
people. Could it be that all through the years of your hardship, God
had been there supporting you, reaching out to you, but you never saw
Him? It's never too late to come to Him.
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