Rosie shares her story of how Jesus turned her life upside down. Her story starts with reading Every Day with Jesus and moves on to studying Contemporary Chaplaincy with Waverley Abbey College. We hope you feel encouraged as you read how she went from flying around Europe with her corporate career, to wandering around the Waverley Abbey ruins.
A journey of transformation begins
‘It started with feeling heartbroken for older people looking scared in the supermarkets before lockdown’, explains Rosie. ‘We were shopping for an elderly neighbour and I remember thinking that helping him was so much more valuable than what I was doing – corporate stuff that nobody can articulate what difference it makes.’
Rosie asked herself the question, ‘when the pandemic ends, how do I continue looking after the vulnerable in some way?’
Around the same time, Rosie started attending an Alpha course and began reading the Bible.
How reading the Bible changed Rosie’s life
‘At Alpha they said you should read your Bible. I didn’t read mine. I had a wedding Bible, but it was covered in dust in a drawer. I don’t know why I chose Every Day With Jesus Bible reading notes. But, I knew I needed something to help.’
Rosie remembers starting reading an edition of Every Day with Jesus, ‘It was weird, because I was reading about some of the stuff that was in the Alpha course. It was unbelievable.’
‘I was getting very curious reading Every Day With Jesus and listening to the 24-7 Prayer app, Lectio 365.'
‘Jesus was revealed to me through Lectio 365. It was talking about Lazarus’s death. And about how Jesus wasn’t crying because his friend was dead – He knew He was going to raise him from the dead – Jesus was crying for Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, and sharing in their grief.
While I meditated on that, I just knew that Jesus was there with me. He was crying with me for all the wounds I’ve harboured for years when I’ve asked, ‘where are you God?’’
‘I suddenly thought God had gone through it all with Jesus. He has cried with me, He has seen everything. His heart has been broken when my heart's been broken. That moment completely changed my life.’
Rosie reflects, ‘God went from a deity in the sky that sits in the clouds like an old man with a big beard to being Jesus. This empathetic man who really lives alongside us and feels that pain.’
We’ve written another blog on how people have different ways that they connect with God that offers some ideas and inspiration on how to get to know Jesus better.
Life-changing decisions
At the same time as finding her faith, Rosie was making big decisions in her work life too. She decided to turn down a secure contract not knowing what was coming next. Literally four hours after deciding to stop working, she got an email…
‘The email was from Waverley Abbey. It said that admissions for the next Contemporary Chaplaincy course were closing in two days,’ says Rosie.
Again, while trying to decide what to do, she listened to Lectio 365. It was around Easter time and the content was about the Garden of Gethsemane. It asked the question: what’s the death that you’re resisting?
Rosie thought, ‘this is about my corporate career, as it was a big identity thing for me.’ She knew that if she did give it up, she wouldn’t be going back to it. She felt God say, ‘the death you're resisting is that corporate working persona.’
And that was it, she decided to study Contemporary Chaplaincy with Waverley Abbey College.
Rosie visits Waverley Abbey for the first time
Walking round the Abbey ruins, Rosie was reminded of the passage in Ezekiel 37 about the valley of dry bones…
‘The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2)
Rosie reflected, ‘I feel there's lots of people later in their lives, like myself, who just feel like you are sort of dry bones. I was walking round the ruins thinking, this is just like Ezekiel, God led him back and forth through the valley of bones. Ezekiel had to sit with his feelings and – if you like – notice the death.’
This was very significant for Rosie, as her area of chaplaincy is for those who are grieving.
Rosie walked away from the ruins thinking, ‘you’ve got new bones, Rosie, and these bones are nurtured here at Waverley Abbey House.’
‘I think that sums up the whole mission and ministry at Waverley Abbey, whether that’s 24-7 Prayer, or the course I’m studying; it’s all about bringing Jesus into broken lives,’ reflects Rosie.
What’s next in Rosie’s Waverley Abbey journey?
‘I want to grow my mission to people who are grieving. And my Vicar wants me to get started on chaplaincy in the local CofE school. I’m going to see what God wants me to do… the course has helped me to think about what I would be interested in. It’s got me thinking about things like prisons and police chaplaincy.’
Start your own Waverley Abbey journey
Studying with Waverley Abbey College is a big part of Rosie’s life, but her journey with God started much earlier when she chose to start reading the Bible with Every Day with Jesus.
Start your own journey of transformation today by downloading the free Every Day with Jesus Bible reading app.
Find out more about Chaplaincy and Counselling courses at Waverley Abbey College.
PRAY WITH US
Jesus,
Thank You that You are accessible, that You care, that You listen.
We thank You for the incredible way You have changed Rosie’s life. Please bless her as she runs bereavement courses and comes alongside people in her community.
Would You draw more people to study chaplaincy at Waverley Abbey College, to be Your loving arms and listening ears in schools, prisons, workplaces and beyond.
Amen