‘The verses that mean the most to me are from Jeremiah 29.11–13, “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”

‘At the age of 13 or 14 this came in all the cards when I was baptised. The reality of my life was a chaotic, dysfunctional home. My mother was an alcoholic and my father was disabled. I was the carer for both of them. No one really expected me to live to adulthood – it was that bad. The idea that the plans that God had for me were different from this reality was really hard to grasp.

‘But this text was given at a point when things weren’t straightforward. The promise is that God is with us, even in the midst of all these things. I realised that the people who’d written in the cards believed that for me.

‘Now I’m a minister in training in a small church, serving alongside people for whom life is also chaotic. The idea that I have had the experiences that I’ve had, means that they can listen to me. They know that I know the harsh realities of life.

‘This passage has come true for me and it will continue to come true. I have seen the promise on my life. It means that I take each day as it comes with hopeful expectation. The reality is that not a lot of people had hope for me. Now, I have a future. The church I’m with wants to continue with me, but I trust the one who leads. If I stay faithful to what God is calling me to, he will lead me.’

Do you have a story to share? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk

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