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Leaning On God In All Things

Author: Mary Hardiman

Picture: Jarmoluk, Pixabay

Leaning On God In All Things

When Mary Hardiman wanted to support her son in his struggles at school, God intervened and showed His care for the details of her life.

Before reading this article, I invite you to reflect on these questions:

1.       Do you believe God can intervene in your life?

2.       Have you ever put God on the line?

I ask you these questions because they are inter-linked.  I believe God WANTS us to put Him on the line so He can intervene.

I would like to share a life-changing story of God’s intervention- when I neither invited Him, nor expected Him to do so.

A Stressful Time

My son had difficulty settling in and making friends at primary school.  Since my husband and I both worked some distance away, the school run was the responsibility of a very obliging grandad.

Desperately wanting to collect my son from school, I asked to finish 25 minutes early, two afternoons a week, at the school where I worked. In return, I would start an hour before school began each day-a fairly generous exchange, I thought.

Sadly, the request was denied.  After my subsequent appeal was denied, I involved unions and prepared for an industrial tribunal.

This was stressful for my family.  My relationship with my head teacher was also compromised.

Enter God

Two weeks before the tribunal, I attended a parish guided prayer week. I sobbed as I explained my dilemma to my prayer guide and thought God had turned his back on me.

She invited me to read the story of Jesus calming the storm from Luke's Gospel in my imagination. I agreed- with no small degree of reluctance:

1.       Because I did not think I had an imagination

2.       Because I get sea sick on a pedalo!

I sat in the empty church under the cross to do the meditation.  In my imagination, I entered a motor boat to travel to a small island.

Somebody else also got in-a faceless person in whom I had no interest.  When a storm came, this person stood up and said: ‘Quiet now; be still’.

The storm died down. When we arrived at the island, he got out of the boat with me and held me in a long embrace.

"I love her and she is precious to me"

My prayer guide told me to write this down.  As I wrote, the pen seemed to take on a life of its own.  My hand could hardly keep up!  What came on to the page was not what had been in my head:

‘I am the faceless person.  I get into the boat with Mary, although I sense she doesn’t want me there.  I want to be with her and she reluctantly allows me.  She steers the boat and I let her.  The storm comes as I knew it would and I hear her ask for help.  I calm the storm.  We get out and I hold her.  I give her the gift of my presence and love.

I do not speak to her through my faceless guise.  I am Jesus and I speak to her from the cross.  I tell her that I will never leave her, that I love her and that she is precious to me.  I tell her to lean on me.

I am the boat that carries her, the water that holds her on her journey, the motor that drives her and the island where she will find her home.’

Faithful God

The tribunal never happened.

I was offered a part-time post on my terms.  My son settled in much better. The afternoons when I picked him up will always remain my favourite memories of his childhood.

Often we think God turns a blind eye to the small details.  It’s not true. 

That experience taught me to lean on Him in all things, and to put Him on the line, so that He can demonstrate how He can, and will, intervene in our lives.

  • Mary Hardiman is a person-centred counsellor and Head of Wellbeing at a pupil referral unit in Salford. She is a regular speaker at Celebrate North West.

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