40th anniversary of God rescuing me!
Simon Measures
Simon's gymnastics background
The following appeared in the official magazine of British Gymnastics "The Gymnast" in February 2008:
"A competitive gymnast in his youth, Simon was schooled at Ullathorne Gymnastics Club in the 1960s, representing English Schools and performing at the Gymnaestrada in Basle in 1968. However, in 1972, an unsupervised triple back somersault on the trampoline resulted in a broken neck and the beginning of a long journey."
"From being paralysed from the neck down, an amazing eighteen months later Simon was back on his feet. His life took him overseas to Holland, and then Indonesia, and eventually full circle back to the UK..."
Seaching for God
Simon now continues the story in his own words - my recovery from being paralysed after breaking my neck was more than amazing, it was miraculous! Lying on the trampoline after the accident I cried out to God with all my heart. What followed the world calls an incredible series of coincidences. It would be better called God-incidences - the right people were at the right places at the right times to make a recovery possible.
By it I realised that some great goodness had been shown in my life. I was over-awed that I had survived this and was recovering. I asked the questions of myself over and over, "Why me rescued out of this? For what purpose?". I left hospital determined to search for the meaning and purpose that I now felt my life was meant to have. I didn't realise it at the time but it was a search for God and His meaning and purpose for my life.
Coming to Christ
My search took me to Holland where I trained (for one year) as a contemporary dancer - a real testimony to how good my recovery had been! Finally, one weekend in the summer of 1975, I found myself in the presence of some Christians in a coffee bar in Amsterdam.
When I got home I thought, "They have what I want. They believe in God maybe I'll find what I want by believing in Him." I then prayed, "God if you are real and you personally love me - show me!" That prayer started something off that really has never stopped since. Almost as soon as I prayed that prayer I started experiencing God "whispering in my ear", showing me little things in every day things that increased my peace and my realisation that He is real.
Almost from that day a new peace or composure came into my life that I'd been desperately in need of. Gradually day by day more and more of that peace and a sense of God with me came to me. It was only a matter of weeks after that that I was firmly convinced God was real and He loved me.
A few months later I prayed and accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour. I was born again and my whole life started over again. I was a new creation in Christ Jesus. I was over-joyed. At last I had found that for which I had been searching. I had found God and a relationship with Him as a privilege through His Son, Jesus Christ. John 1:12-13, Romans 10:9-10.
Simon Measures