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You may be pleased to know that I’m coming to the end of my little politically themed writing stint.  It was very helpful to stay on topic during such a busy six weeks at work and I hope that, for those that have kept up, a fresh insight into politics may have been provided. 

But as my job as a campaign organiser is nearing an end now, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on yet another interesting, unexpected chapter of this crazy old ride of my life.

God works in mysterious ways

If you were to tell me five years ago that I would be working in politics and caring about the results of a General Election, I would have thought you were joking. But it’s funny how things turn out, and sometimes God works in rather unexpected ways… 

During the turbulence of the last couple of years, there were three months that were particularly full on. From July to September, I was planning my wedding with Shem; full-time caring for Mum; dealing with her passing away; planning Mum’s funeral; cleaning out Mum’s house; looking for somewhere to live (but I was unemployed and Shem was going into his final year of university); moving into a new flat; and then getting married. 

I had been working at my church in the run up to this but that job was finishing. I needed to look for a new job but understandably didn’t have the head space to do this. One night in August, I was about to have a quick look on Indeed but beforehand I prayed: 

“Lord, I need a job because we need to pay our rent and bills. But I’m tired and I have so much going on right now [Mum had died just a couple of weeks before], I just don’t have the energy. But I know, Lord, that you know where I’ll be, I know that you have a plan for me, so please will you clearly show me. Please make it really obvious where you want me to be.” 

Given the particularly difficult circumstances, I found myself praying boldly and meaningfully for clear guidance, something I don’t often do.

So, I continued to look on Indeed, everything looked rather generic and nothing particularly great, so I went to sleep. The following morning I woke up to a message from the Parliamentary Candidate (now MP!) for the South Cotswolds Lib Dems saying that they’re looking for a campaign organiser and would I be able to do it. We hadn’t spoken for over a year, and I only knew her briefly when working on a project with her during my degree. 

As I’ve mentioned before, politics has never been my thing. I always thought “same muppet, different puppet”, but after praying such a bold prayer and receiving such a random message, I thought I would find out a bit more information about her values and vision as an MP… long story short – I took the job! 

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” Proverbs 16:3

Shem and I got married on 23rd September 2023 and then went away for our honeymoon until early October. My plan for after this had been to potentially have a mini-breakdown after the craziness of the prior 3 months, spend some time processing Mum dying, and to then start a job in November. 

But God had different plans. My new job wanted me to start ASAP so I ended up just having a week after the honeymoon to unpack my newly-moved-into flat before starting my new job as a campaign organiser. 

It’s wonderful though because it’s times like this that I remember how well God knows me, He knows me better than I know myself. To have a new job and exciting experience like this is exactly what I needed. To be able to pick myself up and focus on something was a much better idea than wallowing. 

However, I knew it was going to be difficult, and that I would need God’s help. Working in politics was a brand new territory for me and, especially as a Christian, this can be quite difficult. Before starting my new job I decided that I would endeavour to read my Bible each morning before work because it was essential that I had my armour of God on in this new, in-some-ways scary situation: 

“Therefore put on the full armour of God… Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17) 

It’s amazing how these kinds of situations can bring you closer to God. Even though it’s been a very busy nine months, and the job has been quite demanding, my relationship with God has stayed at number one, and He’s taught me a lot along the way!

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3)

January was really tough. I don’t do well with the winter in the darkness and gloominess. I was working too often and my long commute meant I was often driving in the dark, which only added to the tiredness. 

But it was more than that. The end of January marked six months after Mum had died, and six months is a milestone where grief can really creep up on you. 

I think I was also reeling a little bit from those crazy three months. My identity was feeling a little confusing. Losing your mum in many ways affects your identity. I think the fact that I don’t have a dad either left me feeling a little waif-like. Plus, although a happy occasion, getting married changes your identity too. Especially as a woman, I didn’t even hold my name anymore! 

I think because of all of this, alongside working in a job that I never saw myself going into, I was feeling a little lost. 

But tough times often mean that your body and mind are processing things – and that’s good, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. And I’m grateful for the people that God has put into my life that love and support me through such times. 

Most importantly of all though, it’s helpful to remember when feeling such feelings of waysided-ness, that my true identity lies in Christ, and He did graciously remind me of this. It was off of the back of this difficult period that I decided to start writing this blog! 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1) 

I must say, this whole job has been an amazing experience, even with the long hours and high demand that it involves. I thought I’d share, even just for my own benefit to look back on, some of the wonderful opportunities this job has provided, and to recognise the goodness of the adventures that God has taken me on. 

• Working with hundreds of volunteers that care about and want to see a positive change in their communities.
  
  
• Winning the General Election with a 5,000 majority, and the fourth highest turnout in Britain.
  
  
• Learning about local politics and working alongside councillors that work hard for their local areas.
  
  
• Working with and learning from Roz Savage, the new MP for the South Cotswolds. It’s been beautiful to see someone get into politics with such integrity and who really cares about her community, wanting to serve and represent the people within her constituency.
  
  
• Zooming around Cotswolds Waterpark on an inflatable dingy with Ed Davey, Roz Savage, Councillor Joe Harris and fellow organiser, Isaac.
  
  
• Being in such a demanding job and working such long hours could have been rather damaging for a first year of marriage but Shem’s support and love throughout this time has only strengthened us.
  
  
• Being able to pray through the stress of the every day life of working in such a fast paced and hectic environment, the fruit of those prayers being shown in peace, joy and patience, and this being a testament to the people that I’ve been working with.
  
  
• Getting to visit Parliament with Roz and Isaac on Friday was probably the cherry on the top of this whole experience. It was an honour to get a tour from Roz, and seeing where all of our hard work has got her!

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)