STORY 2020

‘Jesus is not just a nice idea’

Coming to uni as a Christian, I have had many people say to me ‘aw must be so nice to belong to a church/CU community’ or ‘that’s so sweet’, or things along those lines. Whilst it IS so great to belong to a community and there is so much joy in the message of Jesus, it’s so much more than that. I’ve had many deliberations and to-ing and fro-ing about Christianity, and whilst I’ve always recognised that the historical evidence for the life and death of Jesus is overwhelming, I’ve often felt a reluctance about publicly acknowledging it and living it out. However, I’ve (finally) learned to care less about what people think and I now stand unwavering in my faith in Jesus. Although I mess up every day, I know that he loves me unconditionally, and his message of free forgiveness and eternal life with him is the best news in the world. I don’t believe in Jesus because I need a ‘nice idea’ to cling onto in this broken and suffering world, or because I need a higher purpose when life seems like a long stretch of never-ending work. I believe in Jesus because he is the living Lord and Saviour of all things, and his message offers a joy and peace like no other.