Certificates......... we all have at least one...
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This week Shona and I, as part of Land's End to John O'Groats training schedule, completed the last part of the 116-mile-long Fife Coastal path.
Sadly, we didn't get a certificate to prove we had completed it, so I've uploaded a photo of a certificate we did get some years ago, it was for winning the adult wheelbarrow race. If you can, zoom in you'll see the details.
It is however quite old, faded, wrinkled, tea stained and a bit frayed round the edges, when I said this to Shona she said, "just like us then" .
However, should we complete the Land's End to John O'Groats (LEJOG) walk and provide the necessary Transit/Verification documents to the LEJOG Club, they will send us a certificate at having walked the 1100-1200 miles. That'll be another certificate we could add to our collection.
Shona mentioned the other day the first one she remembers receiving was her "Cycling Proficiency Certificate" as did I when we were at primary school, (All we will say, is that wasn't yesterday, nor the day before for that matter). Neither of us though can produce these to prove we actually did pass this test.
Now of course throughout our lives we may, or may not receive many certificates, for many varied reasons. However, there is one certificate we all have, issued when we are born. It is of course our "birth certificate", this is probably one of the most valuable pieces of identification any of us have.
After an internet search I discovered that the concept of a birth certificate dates way back to the 16th century when the Church of England began to keep records of births, marriages, and deaths. These records were kept in parish registers and were often the only record of a person's birth.
Then In 1837, the British government passed the Births and Deaths Registration Act, which made it a legal requirement for all births to be registered. This act led to the creation of a national system of registration, which replaced the old parish registers.
When we are born a parent or parents have, in Scotland, 21 days to register a child's birth and they will be issued with a certificate for the child that will allow them to apply for a nursery and school place.
Later in life it allows the individual to apply for a passport or to open a bank account. Furthermore, without a birth certificate you can't get a National Insurance Number or prove that you are entitled to work in the UK.
Now! It's been a while since I looked at my own birth certificate, so I pulled out my hatch, match and despatch box to remind me of what is actually on it. Obviously, it has my full name, the date and time of my birth and, where I was born and various other details. There is however a warning on the back of the certificate that says: Any person who falsifies any of the particulars on this Extract or makes use of such falsified Extract as true, knowing it to be false, is liable to prosecution.
As I thought about this, a man named Nicodemus came to mind, he is mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Gospel of John Chapter 3, there is an account about this man who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus by night and, as the story unfolds, he is challenged and puzzled when the Lord Jesus said to him, "you must be born again".
Confused by this statement, he asks: "How can I be born again, when I am older, surely this cannot be?" Nicodemus was religious, politically active, educated, financially secure, and a respected leader. For his day, Nicodemus had everything the world had to offer. But he was lost. He was unsaved. He possessed a sin-sick soul that needed God's amazing grace to deliver him from sin.
Of course he was thinking of only his physical birth, but the Lord Jesus was speaking with regards to something much, much more important, for He was referring to the fact that there was/is a spiritual dimension to consider.
The fact is Nicodemus, was challenged as to whether or not he was prepared for the afterlife, whether he was saved or not, whether his sin had been forgiven or not. Without doubt, this is a challenge that extends to each and every one of us, to ask: "Am I prepared, for where will I spend eternity? Have I had my sin dealt with or not? We read in another place that "it is appointed unto men to die once then comes the judgement".
It is a sobering thought, but we must all consider that one day there will be another certificate issued in our name that we will never see, that is our "death certificate".
Through our efforts to raise funds for Cancer Research UK we hope and pray, that for many a cure might be found, or that treatments will improve the quality of life for those living with cancer.
Once again, from the bottom of our hearts we thank everyone who has prayed for us, and will continue to do so, as we set out on this massive, or as a young friend used to say, "mahoosive", challenge.
Thanks too in anticipation to everyone who will donate to our giving page. As we have said previously, we really do appreciate any comments and look forward to any feedback you may wish to post.
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