You’re never too old to be used by God

Octogenarian Peter Cummings, who lost his wife a few years ago, explains how the Lord led him to find a new love in his life.

 Just after 9am on 17 March 2021, my phone rang.

“Mr Cummings,” said a voice on the other end of the telephone, “I’m afraid I have to tell you that your wife has just passed away.”

In an instant, it felt as though my world had exploded. Only the day before, my wife Shirley had been admitted to hospital with a chest infection.

We’d been reassured by the doctor she was not seriously ill, but now the hospital explained she’d suddenly gone into cardiac arrest and died.

In shock, I remember saying to my daughter Paula, “If your mum isn’t here, I don’t want to be here either.”

At the time I was co-leading an Elim church in Widnes with another elder, Jim. Shirley had been a big part of church life and also cared for me as I’d suffered complications following four heart attacks. I also have Parkinson’s Disease.

Although our loss felt overwhelming, we felt God’s grace and love at every step.

Over time, having now arranged for me to get some help at home from a care agency, the Lord started to give me opportunities to share about Jesus with many of the carers who came to my door.

To date, I have been able to share with carers from at least ten different nations.

Despite it all, I felt that God still had work for me to do.