Introduction
Margaret's earliest images of God were obscured by her own feelings of cynicism and mistrust. As she grew older she became a loner who rejected human contact. When Margaret was eight years old, she moved to Australia and began a relationship with her grandmother, the one person who revealed to her a new image God - a loving God who could be trusted.Margaret's true story is one of many uniquely featured testimonies from you, the members and visitors of this site. Each story reveals a life transformed by Christian faith. If your relationship with God has made a significant difference in your life, we would like to hear about it. Submit your testimony by filling out this Submission Form. To receive weekly messages of hope and encouragement from real-life stories of changed lives, sign up for eTestimonies.
Margaret's Image of God
My earliest childhood image of God was formed by my own feelings of cynicism and mistrust. I had learned that the world around me was an extremely dangerous place and that humans, particularly adults, were not to be trusted. I had developed the ability to separate myself mentally from the destructive environment around me and whenever I could I would physically separate myself as well.Rejecting Human Contact
I remember when I was about 3 or 4 finding myself alone, completely surrounded by trees, mountains and animals and feeling safe and at peace for the first time. My knowledge of God's peace was non-existent, but on reflection I now appreciate that Jesus was surely sitting nearby. I realized my affinity with animals at this time and almost totally rejected human contact.
My image of God received its first major upgrade when my family migrated to Australia from Canada when I was about eight. Through my relationship with my grandmother, I began to realize that the world might not be as hostile as I thought. I also came to realize that a believer was not just someone who went to church each Sunday.
Exposed to God
For the first time, I was exposed to a God that could be trusted and who loved and accepted me. So now my world encompassed God, my grandmother, animals and the isolation of the bush. My love of reading became firmly established at this time, as did my craft abilities. I also enjoyed helping my grandmother in the kitchen. On reflection, God used my grandmother to give me the skills that I would later use in ministry.
My newfound world of security and acceptance was shattered after only three years by the unexpected death of my grandmother. On returning to my family, I quickly reverted to my former learned defense techniques, but this time sensed that something was different within me although I was unable to determine what it was.
Mere Existence
Until fifteen years ago my life was one of mere existence. I had long since given up hope of ever being loved. I know that I still had the knowledge of God, but it was almost totally obscured. The only positive human contact I had at this time was with those among whom God was to call me to minister. These are the "night people," who have either rejected or been rejected by the world. Like me, they could detect barriers, speak in a language where what is not said is often more important than what is, and who have developed the same "survival techniques" as I have.
