My Testimony


In keeping with the theme of me introducing myself, I thought I'd share my testimony with you. A testimony is such a Christian-y word. It's basically the story of God working through my life.

I grew up with two loving, Christian parents. I remember being in my room when I was about four and asking Jesus to come into my heart. I continued going to church and Sunday School and generally being a kid. I knew a lot about Jesus but it's hard to really know Him at such a young age.

In third grade, I transferred to a Christian school (and stayed there through high school graduation.) That school was both good and bad for me. It wasn't the most diverse, especially when I first came. I struggled with feeling beautiful while looking so different. The good part was that it gave me such a good foundation for my faith. Throughout elementary and middle school, I'd have these phases of being so on fire for God and then shifting into autopilot.

During high school, my faith started to solidify. There were hard times in high school. Family struggles. The loss of both of my remaining grandparents in less than a year. General drama. These things forced me to rely on God and on others for support. I learned that it was ok to ask God, "Why?" As in most high schools, everyone had labels. I think mine was a mix of the good Christian girl (yes, that label still exists at Christian schools) and the academic. When I look back at my high school self, I see a lot of insecurity, a lot of pride, and a lot of judgement. I didn't always love people well or unconditionally.

I couldn't wait to get out of my high school. Nine years with basically the same people gets really old. Post high school, I started reading books about my faith. They talked about who Jesus was and what he did and who he cared about. Jesus loved messy people. He hung out with the people it was politically incorrect to hang out with the prostitutes, the people from different ethnic groups, the diseased. He loved people well. He met their physical and spiritual needs. That summer changed my faith. I realized that faith was meant to be lived out. It's not just a private belief. That's where I am now, trying to figure out what it looks like for me to live my faith. I am beyond blessed. You are too. In most parts of the world, I'd be considered rich, even as a "broke" college student. I think Jesus wants more from me than a comfortable life. I'm trying to be open to his leading.

This isn't my whole story. I could post every day for a year about what God did and continues to do in and through me.  If you have questions about what it means to actually start a relationship with Jesus, you can read my faith page or email me at taylor.liveandmoveblog@gmail.com. You can even email me if you completely disagree and you want to discuss things with me. I have friends who are atheist and agnostic and practice different religions. I'm always happy to chat about whatever.

Share the love,

Taylor

6 comments:

  1. thank you so much for sharing! testimonies are so special and encouraging and brilliant and individual.
    xx

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  2. Kristyn @ Milk + CrownJuly 30, 2013 at 8:52 PM

    This is awesome, Taylor. Like you, I grew up in a Christian home and accepted Jesus into my heart when I was quite young (I think 5?). There were, and still are, many waves in my faith as I work to trust God. I'm so glad that transition to college helped you recognize your faith as something more!

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  3. This is so wonderful, Taylor! I love that you shared this. I grew up in a similar way and I have always felt blessed that I received such a great foundation from the get-go. And its always nice to see someone share this in such a public way, it's inspiring!

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  4. What a beautifully written testimony! I always enjoy reading these stories and seeing how people come to know and believe in Jesus. I, too, accepted Jesus into my heart as a young kid and grew up (and still live) in a home with Christian parents. But like you said, while I knew a lot about Jesus, I didn't really know KNOW Him. :)


    I loved reading how you really came to know Him and believe in Him. I've found that through blogging and reading books (do you have any book suggestions, by the way?), I've really deepened my faith and realized just how great our God is and how He works in so many ways in so many people.



    Thanks for sharing!

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  5. I couldn't agree more with the previous comments. I have been there too! The great part of it is that we are all encouraging and inspirirng each other to become better children of God and have his will done in our lives.

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  6. This is such a beautiful faith story, Taylor. When you said "I think Jesus wants more from me than a comfortable life", I can totally relate to that. I am at that stage in my faith right now. It gets a bit frustrating at times, but I know the Lord is faithful and will see me through.:-)

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Thanks for making my day a little brighter with your lovely words!