My Testimony

Welcome to Our Daily Bread! If you have made it to this page you may be wondering what a non-food related blog is doing on a bakery website. That's a great question! A Touch of God is my personal blog where I will share how God has moved through my life and through the lives of others. The purpose is to share the goodness of God and how powerful it can be when he moves through us. By sharing my story and the stories of others I hope to inspire you to give your life to Jesus, or at the very least become curious about who He is!

Since this is my first post I thought I would start off by sharing my testimony. I was raised a Christian. My mother is a loyal follower of Jesus, but my father is not. Growing up I always associated religion with church attendance. I really thought God was counting how many services I attended. If I only knew then what I know now. When I was in high school I stopped believing in God and rebelled completely. I was depressed, self-loathing, and very misguided. I went through most of my high school and college years placing my identity in things and people that often left me feeling empty. That's when I experienced my first touch of God. I was living out of my car in California with my significant other at the time. My life was on a fast track to nowhere when I found out I was pregnant. I was 21, I had no job, no money and at the time no place to live. I was terrified to say the least, but a part of me knew this baby was going to change my life. So my significant other and I packed up and moved back to our college town to finish school. Except neither one of us ended up graduating and instead I was taken on the hardest journey of my life. I often think back to that time and can't help but feel grateful for the pain. Most people don't look back on abuse and see the good in it, but that's how God's love transforms you. Fast forward about 2 years, my son is 7 months old, I'm living with my parents in Florida and going to nursing school. I started attending a local church with some friends. One Sunday, I was sitting in the pews waiting for the service to start when the assistant pastor had come up to me and said "I don't know why, but I have the overwhelming feeling to tell you God is with you and he loves you". Little did he know two days prior I experienced a trauma that would stick with me forever. This was a monumental moment in my life. Throughout all the pain I endured, I forgot about God. But He never forgot about me. He kept me in His sights and brought me through to the other side. I eventually ended up leaving my son's father, and for a little while, things were okay. I started dating a nice guy, I was co-parenting well and getting straight A's in school. When my son turned four I ended a three year relationship and found myself in a similar spot to when I was 21. I was unexpectedly pregnant, living with my parents, and still a little lost. I was overwhelmed trying to navigate my new normal. My son's dad had just left, I had a surprise pregnancy, and although I was happy, I still felt something was missing. My son had just started school at a christian academy and it was his teacher who sent me another touch of God. At our parent teacher conference I shared with her the battles I was facing and instead of being met with judgment and condemnation she met me with grace and love. She shared with me her struggles and comforted my soul. Sometimes God places you in situations because you're meant to meet certain people who will bring you closer to him. My son and I were meant to meet Mrs. Williams. At the hardest time in my son's life, the staff at his school lifted him up with prayer and love and he flourished instead of faltering. That school made such an impact on us, that we now attend that church every Sunday. And every Sunday I am met with just as much grace and love as I was by Mrs. Williams years ago. And although I was attending church regularly, occasionally praying and reading the bible, I was still not walking with God. Because God is not looking at your church attendance, he wants your heart. That was the one thing I had not given up. My heart was filled with bitterness, hate and unforgiveness. I desperately needed God and I am so happy I found him. I happened to be scrolling through social media about 6 months ago and came across a post from Girls Gone Bible. My curiosity was piqued, and I listened to one of their podcasts. Immediately I felt the conviction of God. I was living in sin and had no Idea who God really was. I started listening to a podcast from GGB daily, and my life really began to change. Instead of worrying about my church attendance I started focusing on my relationship with Jesus. I started reading my bible every day and began a quiet time routine. My life now looks very different than it did 6 months ago. I don't listen to the same music, talk the same way, or even do the same things. I have new passions and a new routine centered around God. It's not an easy journey, denying yourself the temptations you once entertained, but it is worth it!

I have heard many different testimonies these past couple of months. A lot of them involve a supernatural encounter with God that changed their life. As I looked back on my testimony I realized it wasn't one big and powerful encounter with God, but many small touches. Each touch planted a seed and brought me a little closer to Him. God knew I would make my way back, he knew my journey before I did. And this is where the inspiration for a Touch of God came from. It took me years to find Jesus and walk in his Grace, he was patient with me and left me little touches along the way. If you happen to stumble across this site, I hope my testimony becomes a touch of God for you. I hope that every time you turn away from God, you change your mind and turn back. I hope you find your blessing in the pain, I hope you find Jesus. I hope one day you can tell me all about your story and how God changed your life.

Until then...

"May the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace"

Numbers 6:24-26