A few years ago while I was deep in prayer at the altar I saw myself standing at the foot of the Lord's cross. All was dark around except for a warm beam of light that illuminated the foot of the cross where I stood.

I remember feeling very weary and I put my hand out to steady myself on the base-beam of the cross. As I did this it registered that the cross had large splinters jutting out of it given the rough way these devices of death were made.

As I put my hand on the cross I felt a sharp pain in my hand which would have been a large splinter - it felt as if it went deep into me as I felt the chill of my body readying me for the pain I was about to feel from its deep penetration.

But as quickly as I felt the initial sting of pain, or at least the prelude to it, the pain stopped - I took my hand away from the cross and looked at the blood now flowing over my hand. As I looked closer I noticed there was no wound from the splinter.

It was then I realised that the blood that flowed was not mine - it came from the cross where my Beautiful Saviour was. Tears welled in my eyes from "the gift" He had given me.

The warm feeling this image/vision gave me is still with me to this very day.