Discovering Christianity
My Faith: Mark Weightman
Mark Weightman
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Leicester University
History of Arts student Mark Weightman had worked hard to
get his place in higher education
and it was not without a struggle. During his ‘A’ Levels,
he experienced deep and unprecedented anxiety.
He said: “I had coped and done well
in GCSE’s
but had placed intense pressure on myself for ‘A’ Levels.
My nerves were so bad I could hardly face sitting the exams.
However, with the help and support of my parents I managed
to get the grades I needed.”
University started to go well for Mark, but as exams drew
near, he was again affected by profound anxiety. Although he
managed to sit the exams, his anxieties seemed to grow out
of proportion, until he lost confidence in himself to even
face the day to day normalities of life. He became bedridden
and had no desire to socialise or maintain relationships.
It was considered by his tutors that Mark was suffering with
more deep-rooted problems and after receiving counselling,
he was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, (OCD),
which meant he demanded perfection of himself in many areas
of his life.
He took a year out of university and following several hospital
visits to try and overcome his condition, he was set to return.
It was at this time that Mark was involved
in a serious car accident which resulted in almost fatal
head injuries. He said: “I
remember very little about it, but it put me in hospital for
two months and a rehabilitation unit to re-learn walking, reading
and basic skills for leading a normal life. By all accounts
of the accident and of my injuries, I shouldn’t have
survived. So how come I did?”
In his search to make sense of what had happened, Mark began
to demand answers from his local vicar.
On this journey of self-examination,
Mark discovered the Christian faith. It was a faith that
offered him much deeper meaning
to life. Mark realised he had been on the wrong path, making
choices that offered a superficial satisfaction which met his
idea of perfection and creating the right ‘image’.
But none of these things had given him the security or true
fulfilment he craved. His faith helped him make some sense
of what he really wanted in life and recently he chose to be
baptised. To his peers, the choice was a strange one, but Mark
says he has never looked back.
He said: “In our church people
are accepted whatever their background, age, race, class,
or whatever. The people
are real and whole. There is substance in their lives, and
I wanted that. I found it in the family of the church.”
OCD has less of a hold on Mark now. Although the accident
had caused great suffering, Mark felt it was the turning point
when he was able to open to the door to God.
He said: “Becoming part of the
church, exploring difficult questions and ultimately inviting
Jesus into my life has given
me a firm foundation and a lasting hope. I hope I can play
a part in helping others find that too.”
Mark is now on a mission to share his story with others and
is prepared to travel abroad to help with mission projects.
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