Life and Faith Story – Bluebell, by Di Reilly
The bluebell is the symbol of humility, constancy, gratitude and everlasting love. Bluebells stand for kindness and steadfastness. They grow slowly and were once used to make glue for bookbinding, protecting the books from silverfish. In various cultures, their delicate appearance is seen as a symbol of the gentle and enduring nature of heartfelt emotions.
What was life like for you as young person?
Born in Rockhampton, Bluebell had a happy childhood growing up in different parts of Queensland, including Thursday Island and Townsville with two brothers and caring loving parents.
“My dad had a job with the weather bureau so we spent three years in various locations and while it must have been pretty gruelling for our parents, as kids we loved it… just running around barefoot really quite free,” Bluebell says.
“My parents had a strong faith, and we were brought up in the Presbyterian church where saying grace and sharing our faith was just the way we were as a family.
“Most of my friends were from Christian families, some from different churches and so Sunday school was a big part of life.
“In Townsville we had a really big youth group of fifty to eighty kids who got together on a Friday night.
“Half of them were Christians and the rest just wanted to go and hang out as it was a way of connecting and meeting people at that time.”
When did you begin to think of yourself as a Christian? What was that like for you?
Bluebell began to think of herself as a Christian from the tender young age of eight.
“We had a Sunday school teacher who wanted us to make a personal commitment and even at that age I knew that it was something massive, but I have never looked back from that,” she says.
“I remember feeling like my life was changing from that point in time, which is kind of weird when you think about it.
“But I knew that God was really real and that Jesus was there for me and it has been something constant in my life ever since.
“I guess making that decision then and having the support of my parents gave me that foundation for the rest of my life.”
How has your life journey been shaped by your life ‘in Christ’?
Bluebell says her faith has been an anchor throughout her life and carried her through some hard times, including the ill health of a child who required hospitalisation and multiple surgeries.
“Throughout that time, we had a lot of people praying for us and we had to work through things like wondering whether prayer would heal our child,” she reflects.
“But I don’t know how we would have come through a lot of that without our faith.”
Her husband’s experience growing up in a church with faith healers who more often than not left people disappointed, meant he was reluctant to seek prayer from every visiting healer on the church circuit. He believed that God already knew exactly what they wanted.
“However, one time the guest speaker at our church camp was a visiting preacher who was well known for praying for healing of the sick” Bluebell explains.
“After initially saying he didn’t want to subject his daughter to this person’s ministrations, he changed his mind, and we went to speak to him.
“He prayed for our daughter but also for me, that I would be at peace with whatever happened.
“I think that was a massive thing. It’s interesting… you’re seeking one sort of healing, but you’re given another.”
While her daughter’s symptoms continued for some years, she is soon to turn 40 despite initial fears she would not live past the age of 5.
“So, while the miracle wasn’t instant, her being with us is still miraculous.”
Bluebell compares her faith with the lane correcting mechanism of their new car which keeps the vehicle travelling straight down the centre of the lane, despite her husband trying to drive it his way, closer to the right.
“That’s us and God isn’t it’? God is saying, ‘I’ve got you, you’re safe, stay in between the lines’ but we’re saying, ‘no, I want to be over there.’”
“It takes so much effort to be ‘over there’… sometimes we just need to let God be in control.”
How would you encourage people who are finding their way in life and faith in our changing world?
Bluebell disagrees with some “modern” thinking that denies the need for church and community, while still seeking to belong to a “tribe”.
“I think we all need to belong, to have people around you, people who pray for you, not there necessarily to tell you what to do but just to provide support,” she says.
“Young people especially may think that church is too old fashioned, condemning and judgemental but in a lot of ways I think they would be surprised.
“If they find the right church they will find acceptance instead of judgement.”
The message, Bluebell explains, is that you can be accepted and loved, even if people don’t agree with you.
“We don’t need to be agreed with all the time, but we do need to be accepted and loved.”
The more the church can reach out to the wider community, the more that message can be spread.
She says Robina’s Community Connect program opens the church to the outside world, with church volunteers prepared to take the time to have a chat and listen and she encourages anyone with time on a Thursday morning to pop in, knowing they will be welcomed.
“It fulfills the purpose of just being there for people and brings a little bit of God to people and shows that we care, and I think that’s really special.”