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Father(ed) Less to Freedom: A Story of Father Wounds and Forgiveness

Hi Faith Travelers and Happy New Year!

I know it’s been a few weeks since you have heard from me. I was away getting much needed rest and resting in God to understand what He is requiring of me in this new year. I hope this new year/season is treating you well and many of you are sticking to the declarations and promises that you made at the start of 2024. Not out of superstition, ritual or routine but out of sheer desire to do what’s needed to walk into the fullness of the new thing that God has for you in 2024, even in spite of what may be going on around you.

I want to start today’s testimony by talking about how a New Years’ promise to myself and God, going into 2018, freed me from years of hurt, resentment and unforgiveness due to a father wound.

Some of us are fortunate to grow up in loving two parent households, some of us single parent households and some of us not so loving two parent homes. My family structure growing up was a little different. My parents were high school sweethearts who got married when I was 4 and divorced when I was 6, with good reason from my observation. I think I may have been the only young kid that would say their parents didn’t need to be together. This meant for most of my childhood I spent doing frequent to infrequent visits to my dad’s house. It started out great until it wasn’t.

I started out spending alot of time with my dad as he watched me while my mom was away on airforce reserve duty. We took plenty of trips to the park, the fair, and shared loving moments at home of me and him dancing while I stood on his feet.

Things started to shift from ages 9 to 25 when I started to feel abandoned by the person who was always supposed to love and protect me. My dad remarried and the visits became far and few in between. My dad’s wife, at the time, even told me I needed to spend more time with my dad. Which made no sense to me at the time because I was only 9 and always available for him to make the 10 min drive to pick me up from my mom’s house. Years later my dad divorced and remarried a third time. The distance only got worse. My then 2nd stepmother, had 4 children coming into the marriage so as time went the overwhelming feeling and evidence of being replaced with his new family started to rise while I strived to feel included in the new family structure.

Once I was old enough to drive and could borrow the car from my mom, I would drive over to spend time with my dad and his family. I watched the interactions with him and his stepdaughters and stepson and it was evident that they were getting a father figure that I hadn’t had the pleasure of being acquainted with. It was crushing to sit back and watch my dad be a father to others while I strived to be significant in his life. I started buying him and everyone gifts in hopes that it would help them see me more, like me more or even invite me over more often. I was promised that they would give me a key to the house so I could come over between classes and that when they got another house there would be a room for me but that never happened. Broken promise after broken promise occurred.

There was a moment when I had issues with my car and couldn’t take it outside of city limits and was limited to school, work and home. I told my dad and he offered to talk to his friend to get it fixed. That never happened. I was later told by my dad that my stepmother said I only called when I needed something. I wasn’t upset that she said it. I was more upset that he seemed to believe it. This all happened while my stepsister was receiving her first vehicle, they purchased for her.

In my senior year of high school, things got expensive. There were senior dues, senior pictures, the band ball, senior prom, running for prom queen, senior trip, senior dinner and all the things that required money. Myself and my mom’s financial position wasn’t in the necessary shape to support all that I had going on but we made it work the best way possible. My step mom made my band ball dress and my Junior prom dress the year before so she wasn’t all bad, in case you were thinking that. There was a senior dinner coming up and we were asked to invite our parents and present them with a gift. I’d gotten my mom a gift and my dad a crystal sculpture with an image of a father and daughter inside of it. We received two tickets so I told my dad about it and he told me he would come. The evening of the dinner my mom and I were sitting across from each other and my dad’s seat was next to me. I saw my dad in the entryway of the event hall signing in and said to myself “He came!”. My friend that knew the issues I’d had with my dad smiled at me as I wore the excitement on my face. He seemed to be standing at the check in a little too long so I went to see if there was an issue. He’d brought my step mother, which was fine, but didn’t understand why there wasn’t a ticket for her. I told him I only received 2 tickets for him and my mom but it wasn’t a problem because it was a nominal fee for additional people which I believe was $8 at the time. They said okay and I went back to my seat glad that all seemed resolved, yet it wasn’t. I sat down and after a few minutes I looked in the entryway and saw my dad leaving. I went back up to the check in area and looked outside only to see my dad and stepmom driving away. I wanted to be optimistic and think that they were coming back but they didn’t. I went to the ladies room, where my friend met me, and I cried the tears that hurt so badly to shed. My friends gave me a pep talk and we went back out to enjoy the dinner with her parents and my mom. It’s safe to say I took the gift I got for him back to the store. I didn’t address it then or even for several years with my dad about why he left that night. I was too afraid that it would validate my thoughts and feelings of him abandoning me on my senior night over $8.

A similar event happened several years later when I was graduating from college with my engineering degree and my stepmom called me and said my dad wouldn’t be coming to my graduation because my stepbrother’s boot camp graduation was that same weekend. I didn’t react, I was hurt but told her “okay I understand”. I didn’t keep my hopes up regarding my dad much after high school. To my surprise, my dad actually came through and made it to my graduation and I got to see him briefly afterwards before we were all supposed to head to my joint graduation party at a friend’s house. We were caravanning to the location in multiple cars. My mom was behind me and my dad behind her. I recall some reroutes along the way but we were all tailing each other to get there. Once we got to the location I noticed my dad didn’t pull up to the house. I thought something was wrong and was concerned. I later found out that he decided to drive to see a friend near the area and then back to Savannah from Atlanta because he said he couldn’t keep up with the traffic. I told him he could’ve called and we would have navigated him here but that was after the fact and another moment in time that I had been disappointed and left to feel like an afterthought to him in my mind. This was the introduction of what I had come to know as Father Wounds.

From the age of 15 to 30, looking back, I realized the effects of the father wounds and how they showed up in different aspects of my life. It started with me positioning myself to never need anyone’s help for the fear of being let down. That resulted in me working 5 jobs at one time while in college. I worked at a men’s clothing store, Best Buy, the campus bookstore, in the campus athletic department and I had my own tutoring service on the weekdays as well. The effects didn’t end here. They show up as people pleasing and a lack of boundaries with people in hopes for them to like me. The worse part was that it showed up in my dating relationships and lack of discernment on choosing a partner who God would choose for me. Because of this I ended up in several cheating, toxic and abusive(physical and verbal) relationships. A few of these relationships took years to heal from the mental, emotional and physical traumatic toll it had on me. When I look back on it, I ask myself, why did I allow this? Because I didn’t have a male standard to go off of. I didn’t have someone telling me “No, he’s not the right one for you”. And I didn’t have the father figure, like some of my friends had, teaching me to not entertain just any guy that crosses my path. This was until I met someone that changed everything for me.

That someone I met was God. I know it sounds cliche but hear me out. When I received salvation through accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I looked at God as my Lord and Master. Someone to give me orders and instructions for my good as I navigated life. As I grew in my relationship with God, after the last toxic heartbreak, I began to not only see God as Lord but I started to see Him as My Father, someone relentlessly loving me out of every hurt and pain I’d ever experienced, someone who was always there in the ups and the downs, and someone there to make sure I am always safe and protected. God took me on a journey of restoration changing me from the inside out. He erased every disappointment and replaced them with His faithfulness. He fulfilled His promise in Psalms 68:5(See Below) and showed me the father I needed and always wanted.

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.”

Psalms 68:5 NLT

Though I’d had so many disappointments from my dad, God shared with me that my dad couldn’t give me something that he himself didn’t receive from his own father. God showed me how to love and forgive my dad despite the past. I was reminded of the scripture Mark 11:25 which says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” I realized the unforgiveness was hurting me more than anything. My husband says it best, unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick or die. I needed to make a decision to let go.

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.”

Mark 11:25 AMPC

That year, in 2017, I had been working on a letter to send to my dad but I couldn’t quite finish because I don’t think I was ready to share my thoughts the way God needed me to share them, speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15 NKJV). It wasn’t until December 31st, 2017 that I ‘d made up my mind that I would no longer be bound by the hurts, pains, resentment and unforgiveness of my past. I wrote a letter sharing my heart with my dad and letting him know that I would no longer harbor the events of the past because I was choosing forgiveness. In the midst of this, God told me something that pierced my heart in a different way regarding not just my dad but people in general. He said to me, “He’s a man and man can fail you but I’m your Father and I will never fail. That was the moment I decided to no longer put my trust in man but in God alone.

On December 31st, 2017, New Years Eve, I not only forgave but I received a new found freedom that didn’t come in response from my dad at the receipt of the letter, it came when I made the decision to let go and let God. My dad never responded to the letter nor spoke of it. In fact I didn’t know he still had it until I asked in 2021. It didn’t bother me one bit because I’d left all of that hurt at the feet of Jesus on the last day of 2017. It also didn’t bother me because a few months into 2018, after I sent the letter, God showed me how He would use my dad in such a way that showed me though I can’t physically see or touch God, He can do more for me than any man can. In 2018, I healed, I found freedom, I grew closer to my dad, I discovered my purpose, I met my husband and so much more. It’s amazing what one decision to forgive did.

Until the next testimony…

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Consistency Is Key

HI Faith Travelers!

How many times have you heard the phrases “Consistency is key”, “Consistent actions create consistent results”, or even “Success isn’t about greatness, it’s about consistency”. Well all of these quotes aren’t just true in the world and business but they can also be applied biblically.

Consistency is Key!

Consistency can be defined as the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way. When I hear this definition, it makes me think of the most consistent person in my life, Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 13:8, the bible states, ” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. He is consistent with His love and faithfulness seated at the right hand of the Father. He was consistent in His compassion and power as He walked this earth over 2000 years ago. And He is consistent in His character and stance as He never compromised God’s word even when His own life was at stake. Jesus is consistent because of the unchangeable name of God. It’s just like the bible says in Numbers 23:19, God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good. Basically, if God promised it, He will do it because He’s consistent.

We all know that God being consistent is a given. But our relationship with Him isn’t just about His consistency, it’s about ours. Its about our consistent faith (Mark 11:22 AMP), our consistent prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17 NLT), our consistent obedience, our consistent trust, our consistent time in His presence… our consistency period. Our relationship with God is a two way street, meaning even after we have talked to God in prayer, we should listen just as long as we pray to hear what the Lord has to say in response. Prayer is not a monologue, it’s a dialogue/conversation.

Our consistency with God nurtures the very relationship that orders our steps to and through purpose. It builds trust not just for us towards God but for God towards us. When dealing with trial after trial with my health several years ago (See Blog Post Here), I didn’t know God for myself nor how to hear His voice but I consistently cried out to Him, read His word and prayed as much as I knew how because “something told me”, which I now know that something is the Holy Spirit, that it was going to be okay and just keep praying. Soon enough I unexpectedly yet expectantly received the answers to my prayers and the healing to my body because I consistently prayed, consistently spent time with God and consistently stood in faith. Not only did my consistency build my trust in God which, in turn, strengthened my faith but it also showed God that He can trust me too when it comes to divine assignments He leads me to do concerning His children(all of you), for His glory.

It’s December 1st and some of you are wondering what’s next for you before this year ends. Just because there are 31 days left in this year, doesn’t mean God can’t do something profound in your life through your next 31 days of consistency. So I challenge you to allow God to wow you in the midst of your consistency in seeking Him, consistency in prayer, consistency in faith, consistency in discipline, in writing that book, applying for that job, starting that business and LLC, and consistency in obedience of doing what God is leading you to do in this last month of 2023. Pick up those projects you thought had died, take the steps of consistency with God and watch yourself finish the year stronger than you could have ever imagined.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

Ephesians 3:20 NIV

Until the next faith story…

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Peace Amidst Holiday Grief

Hi Faith Travelers,

In light of the Thanksgiving Holiday celebrated in the United States this week, I pray this week has been filled with gratitude and thankfulness for you and your families. For some that has been your sentiments, but for others there has also been a wave of emotions of loneliness, grief and sadness. This is all too common for those who have dealt with the loss of a loved one and those who are in a place where they feel lonely during the holidays even without loss. You may feel hurt, sad, lonely, angry, confused, or even lost in the midst of the flood of emotions but it’s okay. I know that sounds kind of weird coming from a Christian blogger but I am here to tell you there is nowhere in the Bible that tells you to keep your emotions of grief bottled up. In fact, the Bible tells us in Matthew 5:4; “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” In the midst of the emotions and the thoughts that take us to that unwanted place, we have to realize that it’s okay not to be okay, but we just can’t stay there.

“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

It is normal to grieve loved ones who are no longer with us. It is normal to feel a certain way when we are attempting to celebrate a holiday that was once filled with their presence yet now it is not. Remembering the words they uttered when you saw them, the chair they once sat in, the meals they once cooked and even the warmth they made you feel just from being around them can all be a lot to process. It is okay to mourn the loss of that loved one and the very essence of who that person was to you. We just can’t stay there because when our emotions begin to lead over our God given spirit it leaves a foothold to the devil. The enemy would love to take any attempt to bring you down deeper into a state of mind that you once had control over but is now flooded with consuming thoughts taking you into a hole you can’t dig yourself out of. The Bible says in I Peter 5: 8, “Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Therefore recognize when you have those moments, understand you are human and its okay for you to not be okay in those moments, then proceed to ask Jesus to help you stand on His word in faith and receive His perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3-4). This is better described in I Peter 5:9-10 where it states “Resist him(the devil), steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devourResist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

I Peter 5:8-10 NKJV

After you have suffered in the things you are going through, whether that is grief, sadness, loneliness, confusion, depression, physical pain or anything else not God given, God will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. God will perfect meaning He will mend and restore what has been broken. He will establish meaning God will stabilize and render your mind constant. He will strengthen meaning God will make your soul strong. He will settle meaning God will lay the foundation and ground you there. God will do the work for you, you just have to trust Him and surrender the burden to Him.

For those who are having a difficult time this Holiday season here is a prayer for you to pray over yourself:

Father God in the name of Jesus, thank you for being Lord over all, not just in my high moments but also in my low moments. Thank you for Your love to comfort me in the midst of mourning and for Your perfect peace that surpasses all understanding as I keep my thoughts stayed on you. Thank you Lord for helping me to understand in my heart that as believers my loved ones may be absent from the body but are now present with You Lord and I will see them again. I thank you that my faith and trust are anchored in You and Your power at work in my life. I decree and declare I am more than a conqueror and the devil remains a defeated foe in my life. I decree and declare even in the midst of grief, You are perfecting, establishing, strengthening and settling me in Christ Jesus. And I thank you that I can forever live from a place of peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Until the next time…

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Faith and Miracles: God Healed My Eye

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

I want to talk about a topic near and dear to my heart today. The topic that saved my life. The very reason this blog was brought to fruition…FAITH.

Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

What is Faith? According to Hebrews 11:1 NKJV, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Faith can also be described as complete trust or confidence in someone or something; a hope or belief. The Hebrew word for confidence is Bitachon, meaning to be at ease, to trust and to be confident. Think about when you put your trust in something or someone, there tends to be no doubt or disbelief in it, yet there’s also an assurance and certainty regarding that person or thing. This is how we ought to have faith in Jesus…with trust, certainty and assurance. This is the faith in knowing that He is the Son of God who walked this earth over 2000 years ago sharing the Good News and the message of God’s kingdom while also performing miracles including healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out demons (Matthew 10:7-8 NKJV). When Jesus laid down His life for us, dying on the cross yet was resurrected and is now seated at the right hand of Father God, His sacrifice forgave every sin/ iniquity and healed all of our diseases (Psalms 103:3 NKJV). This didn’t just end in biblical times, we still have possession of the free gift of salvation that includes all of the above as our benefits.

In John 14:12-14 NJKV, Jesus says to His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works (in quantity) than these he will do, because I go to My Father (God). 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Well this doesn’t just apply to the disciples then, it also applies to the modern day disciples, who happen to be us.

Where there is hope, there is Faith. Where there is Faith miracles happen.

Anonymous

Years ago I put my faith and this scripture to the test. Around this time in 2014, I nearly lost my eye from a fall that shattered my orbital floor in my right eye. The doctors wanted me to get surgery even though I didn’t live in the area where the incident occurred. They informed me that they would need to go in, lift my eye back up and put a plate in to keep the eye stabilized. I refused the surgery because my FAITH was in my eye fully healing on its own. Sounds crazy, but I knew this situation was no match for God. Due to the incident, I no longer had right peripheral vision, was sensitive to light and my brain and eye were not communicating so basic function like walking straight and turning when someone says something to you was very limited. During that week I laid hands on my eye and prayed to God that my eye would heal on its own without surgery. I backed my prayer with Mark 16:18 “…they will lay hands on the sick , and they will recover” trusting that God’s word was true and would work on my behalf. Once I returned home, I went to an ophthalmologist to make sure my vision was still okay and my eye hadn’t dropped and everything with my vision checked out good. I’d forgotten to give my CT scans to the doctor until the end of the visit. He came back looking like he’d seen a ghost and based on the scans recommended me seeing the plastic surgeon and getting the surgery recommended by the other doctors. Again my FAITH was in my eye fully healing on its own without surgery.

Within 2 weeks my eye looked as if the injury had never happened and I had full functionality. Fast forward to my 6 month check up with the ophthalmologist, my eye had fully healed on its own with no changes to my vision and without any surgery! The doctor’s assistant came in and said “You know you’re really lucky because someone came in with the same issue and had to lose their eye. I told her “that’s not luck, that’s God! I could’ve literally lost my eye and according to the doctors the vision in the other eye would’ve diminished too…But God! He performed not just a miracle but a medically documented miracle for me! How, you ask? Because of my Faith. While faith sometimes doesn’t make sense, it does in fact make miracles.

Until the next faith testimony..

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Through The Storms of Life

HI Faith Travelers!

By a show of virtually raised hands, how many of you are going through a storm right now? Picture me raising my own hand right along with you.

A storm can be defined as a violent disturbance of the atmosphere; an uproar or controversy; a sudden attack; a direct assault.

If you think of this in the terms of things you may be going through, that violent disturbance of the atmosphere can be sickness in your body. That uproar and controversy can be friction with your family, marriage or relationship. The sudden attack can be on your finances while that direct assault can be blatant unfair treatment towards you at your place of employment. The storm can come in the form of many things, but it’s never about the storm itself, it’s about how you navigate THROUGH the storm. A quote by Charles R. Swindoll states, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” It’s more about how we respond versus what has actually happened to us.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

Charles R. Swindoll

How do you respond to the storm? What’s your attitude, your heart posture; how are you standing in faith to get THROUGH to the other side? I put so much emphasis on the word “Through” because of the meaning and the sheer hope behind the word. Through means “moving in one side and out to the other side of. The other side meaning, healing after sickness, restoration and reconciliation after family or relationship rift, financial breakthrough after a financial drought and recompense after mistreatment.

What does that look like as it relates to the word of God? The bible states in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” This scripture lets us know even when the storms arise and look to be overwhelming, we must first and foremost, Trust God. Trust that whatever the situation is, it’s in no way shape or form bigger than the true and living God. Don’t lean on your own understanding of thinking this issue has the final say or that it won’t end in your favor, trust God who can direct your path through this storm, when you allow Him to by trusting Him over what it looks like. That means walking by faith and not by sight (See II Corinthians 5:7).

Trusting God also looks like Matthew 6:34 MSG where it reads, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes”. God is with you always so no matter the trials, circumstance, or situation, you can count on Him to help you walk through it to the other side.

Now that you are trusting God with that situation, your heart posture has to match by choosing joy and being at peace in the midst of the storm. James 1:2-4 NCV in God’s word says, My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need. Once you decide to choose joy in the midst of the trials, God can then make it joy because of the act of your faith (See Matthew 17:20).

My husband shared this story with me about the time he was driving one of our church leaders out of town to a conference. As soon as he got on the highway ramp towards the destination it started pouring rain to the point he could hardly see the road. He could have pulled over to the side of the road but he knew that was dangerous and could have led to another car hitting them due to lack of visibility. He preservered through the drive and before he knew it he was on the other side of the storm where the sky was clear and sunny with a rainbow reminder of God’s promise (See Genesis 9:13-16). As he looked out the rear view mirror he could see the storm behind him where it was dark, cloudy and pouring rain but coming THROUGH the storm on the other side didn’t look like what he had been through.

On the other side of the storm

That’s what it’s like walking with God through storms and trials. When you trust Him, count it all joy and walk in faith with Him through it, He will bring you out on the other side of victory, where it won’t look like what you’ve been through.

Until the next Faith Story…

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It’s Bigger Than Me

Hi Faith Travelers!

Happy Faith Friday!

If it’s one thing I know about God, it’s that He knows how to “WOW” you when you least expect it. But before I share what the WOW was, I want to share my heart with you all.

As we have been discussing Obedience the past several weeks and sharing the testimonies I’ve personally experienced connected to it; I have literally been walking out faith and obedience myself on a week to week basis. This has included waiting for the Holy Spirit ( See John 16:13) to share what topic and testimony to blog on, just in time for Friday’s post. And when I say just in time, I literally mean receiving God’s clarity on the topic around 10/11 p.m. on a Thursday night and writing until 3/4 a.m. when I have to be up at 7 a.m. for work. Remember last week’s blog… well this is a perfect example of what I mean when I say “It won’t be easy but it’s necessary”.

Some may say, “Why do I do it?” My answer will always be, “Because this is bigger than me”. It involves me but it’s not about me. It’s about the glory of God (See Romans 5: 1-2). All of this is so that you can experience hand delivered evidence of God’s goodness and faithfulness in the lives of people you may or may not know so that your faith will grow and be shared with all who you encounter. Sharing faith…to spread faith.

Because this is bigger than me. It involves me but it’s not about me. It’s about the glory of God!”

-A Faith Traveler

Remember that unexpected “WOW” I mentioned earlier, well as I was working on updating the blog, I stumbled upon the analytics and discovered that this Blog has reached 34 countries (103 countries as of January 2026)! Read that again…34 COUNTRIES (103 COUNTRIES as of January 2026)!!! This gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to ” Go and make disciples of all the nations” (See Matthew 28: 16-20) . Going no longer just means physically being there. You never know how God will use something for His glory. This wowed me because in just under 2 months God has taken something I was disobedient with starting since 2016, helped me officially start the site in 2020 even though I was inconsistent and now in 2023, He has breathed on it to reach all who He has ordained it to reach. This goes to show you that it’s never too late to walk in obedience with God. But trust me, you want to be obedient the first time God asks.

The Faith Travels Movement has reached 34 countries
(Now 103 COUNTRIES as of January 2026)

In hopes that you all have been enjoying what has been shared on this blog thus far, I wanted to share something exciting with you. As I share these faith stories and testimonies week after week, this blog was not meant to just be stories about me nor for my benefit. It was meant to share the faithfulness of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ from around the world. With that being said, I want to give YOU the opportunity to be a part of the Faith Travels movement and share your story. I have received several faith testimonies that have been submitted within the past few years and as the Holy Spirit directs the topics, I will share them. So expect to hear some powerful testimonies from across the nations.

If you want to be a part of sharing faith to spread faith, please Click Here to submit your testimony. You won’t regret being a part of this global move of God.

A prayer for every Faith Traveler,

Father God in the name of Jesus, I thank you for each and every person that reads this. I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over those eager to share, those who are reluctant and scared to share their story and those who are just passing by to grab an ounce of faith in their trial through someone else’s overcoming triumph. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

In Jesus Christ name I pray. AMEN

Stay tuned for next weeks’ faith testimony. This one is near and dear to my heart so you don’t want to miss it!

Looking forward to hearing your faith stories!

Until next time…

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Faith God Still Speaks God's Voice Jesus Obedience Prayer Testimony Uncategorized Work Related

It Won’t Be Easy But It’s Necessary

HI Faith Travelers!

I’ve been looking forward to talking to you all this week! This was a week where I was eagerly anticipating Friday just to see what God wanted to say to you today because he of course didn’t give the title until the eleventh hour. I realized everything that He has me to write for you turns right back around and serves as a faith reminder and strengthener for me as well. This has really been a week, but for those of you who had a smooth sailing week, Praise God! For those of you who had a directionally challenged week like myself, meaning the week didn’t know whether it wanted to go good or bad…keep your head up, Thank Jesus and know that tomorrow is another chance to count it all joy (James 1:2-3)!

If you haven’t realized it yet, we are still touching on the topic of Obedience. At this point, I’m sure we recognize that this topic is important to God. This is why throughout the past few weeks of blogging, I’ve had the opportunity to self-reflect on my own acts of obedience to God and if I am being honest; those acts of obedience weren’t always pretty nor easy to walk through.

Obedience isn’t always just an act of kindness, a gesture or a matter of not doing something that sins against God. Obedience can look like taking a new opportunity that is difficult and stretches you to build character, it can be walking with God on a healing journey to uproot the symptoms of perfectionism and parental wounds, it can look like forgiving someone who has offended or hurt you badly or even praying for that person who recently betrayed you. This is why when you’re walking in obedience, it won’t be easy but it’s necessary.

“It won’t be easy but it’s necessary…” This was the very phrase that God whispered to me years ago during my time of sitting in His presence in prayer one day. It is a phrase that often echoes in my spirit whenever I realize that I have entered into a new season ( Ecclesiastes 3:1) that feels difficult or rather uncomfortable. I think about when I was at my last place of employment and I was being overworked with 3 jobs in 1, overlooked for promotion and treated in a manner that a lot would say was unfair. Even after an almost 10 year career there at the time, I wanted out immediately! I started updating my resume, refining my LinkedIn profile and applying for jobs wherever they were posted. All of that just for God to tell me “No, not yet”. I would respond, ” What Lord, what do you mean “No, no yet”…this entire situation at work is stressful, humiliating and frustrating and I know you can’t possibly want me to stay in this.” From that point on, I didn’t hear much from God on that specific matter until I would see a job posting that would peak my interest. In my excitement of seeing something I was interested in, I would eagerly go to apply and then hear God unexpectedly utter “No, not yet”, yet again. This went on for months, and I had already applied for positions including those I was over-qualified for. Again, I was desperate to get out. Well the funny thing (funny now but not back then) is that I was denied from every single job I applied for. Every. Single. One. This definitely hurt but then I realized there must be a reason God is literally not allowing me to move on from this job.

I sought the Lord specifically on this matter and He shared with me that even though He didn’t intend for me to be go through what I was going through the way I was going through it; in the midst of it all He was with me (Deuteronomy 31:8, Matthew 28:20) and would work it out for my good (Romans 8:28). The devil was using (Ephesians 6:12) specific people to taunt me and make me prematurely leave a place where God was still growing me up to prepare me for the places He was calling me to in the future. Not to mention, I was on assignment at work outside of my actual job, God had me to minister to specific people including maintenance contractors, janitors, the cleaning ladies I loved talking to and those that would come by to put a request in my prayer box on my desk.

Fast forward to 3 years later, after being at that employer for now 13 years, God opened a door to a new opportunity, a new industry and a new career path. A position I literally WAS NOT qualified for on paper…But God! This was true evidence to me that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Though I didn’t see it at the time, God was building my character at my old job to prepare me for my new job and other future opportunities. He was strengthening my trust in walking with Him and His plan for my life, and positioning me for His perfect timing. It wasn’t easy but it was necessary.

I can recall one thing that God said to me in a different situation that is very much so applicable to this one, He said to me, ” Just because it’s not happening the way you expected it to, doesn’t mean you’re being punished…you’re being positioned.”

” Just because it’s not happening the way you expected it to doesn’t mean you’re being punished…you’re being positioned.”

-God

If you happen to find yourself in a place where you feel like things aren’t happening for you the way that you think they should and you are running into wall after wall, Look to God. If you have a feeling that there is more for you but you don’t see the path, Look to God. If you have a desire to live and walk out a purpose driven life, Look to God. The focus should always be Jesus(God) yet the path will be one intricately designed to take you from the test to the testimony and pit to the palace. It won’t be easy but it will always be necessary.

Until the next faith story…

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Faith Healed Miracle Miracle Testimony Unknown Illness

Unknown Illness Miraculously Healed Pt. 2

So I shared my battle with the unknown illness with you in Part 1 and now I want to share My Victory over that unknown illness in Part 2. The Bible says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. (1 John 5:4) ” By faith, sickness and disease was eradicated from my body and defeated!

The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy but God has come to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). I received my full healing and restoration back in March of 2016! I went from barely being able to move to dancing before the Lord at my church. How you ask? Here’s the part you’ve been waiting on since Part 1.

Well during that time my Pastor was teaching on healing in the Bible. He mentioned the Bible story of the woman with the issue of blood (See Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8) and how her faith was in being healed once she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. He said the Centurion’s servant was sick but the Centurion felt that he wasn’t worthy of Jesus coming to his house so his faith was in Jesus just saying the word and he knew his servant would be healed. Then the story of Jairus whose daughter was said to be dead, his faith was in Jesus coming to his house and healing his daughter. My pastor asked the general question “what is your faith in for receiving your healing?” Then he asked, if you feel like you need to be touched (by the laying on of hands) and prayed for to receive your healing that Jesus already died on the cross for, then come to the altar. In that moment, I felt like he was talking to me but I began to feel fear rise up in me. In the midst of feeling afraid, I heard a still voice say, “ this is what you asked me for, go up there”. I said under my breath while looking around, “Jesus is that you?!” As I walked up there I had already had this conversation in my mind that out of all the people praying I wanted the pastor to do it( not that it would’ve made a difference…God can use anyone). Well I got up there and I closed my eyes while praying to myself. I then hear the pastor say, “ Tell me what’s going on”. I open my eyes while thinking, “Lord did you tell this man my business already” (sarcasm…because me and the Lord have that kind of relationship). I began to tell him what was going on and said I want full healing and restoration. He said “well full healing and restoration, that’s easy for God…That’s easy right?”….as he looked for me to agree, I just shook my head in a yeah sure kind of way. He began to pray over me and someone behind me was praying in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14). Next thing I know I was laid out on the ground. And here I was thinking that people were being polite and falling out to appease the pastor. This was not the case here. I got up in expectation that something had changed even though I didn’t feel 100% better; I knew God was going to do what He said.

The next day I went to dance ministry practice. Even though I couldn’t dance because of my condition, I would still go to help and serve where I could. Well, they were practicing a ballet move for the next ministry performance and I decided to try the move. Just a bit of a back-story, I have never taken any ballet or dance classes and the restrictions I still had limited me from doing low extremity moves. In that moment as I began to do the ballet leg lift move, I watched my leg rise like I had taken classes for years. This was the same leg rising that at one point would not even move and had to be dragged around the house. I stopped and with tears in my eyes I said, God you did it, you healed me!!!

From being unable to move to Ministering through dance. Me: Bottom Left corner

In the next couple of weeks, I ministered through dance for the first time before the congregation. I can remember fighting back the ugly cry during my performance because I was still in awe of what God had done for me. My friend Tiffany was in the audience and after service I asked if she was able to record me. She said, “I’m sorry I didn’t because I was crying so hard at the goodness of God because I saw you when you couldn’t move!” There was nothing but tears of gratefulness and joy as I reflected on the same.

I went from being unable to move to a mighty move of God on my behalf. These are the moments that took my faith and walk with God to another level and part of the reason why I share my faith and testimony with you today. Someone else’s faith story helped me in the midst of my trials and my prayer is that my story and the many more that I will share here will help someone to also see and experience the faithfulness of God in whatever circumstance they may be going through.

Until the next faith testimony…

Categories
Faith Healed Jesus Miracle Testimony Unknown Illness

Unknown Illness Miraculously Healed Pt.1

If its one thing in this world that I love, it’s seeing God be glorified. I absolutely love hearing testimonies from people on how God brought them out of the impossible. This passion stems from some of my own life experiences. While I have quite a few testimonies that I will share at some point, the one I will share today is the one that took my Faith to another level in my journey with Jesus.

One day in 2015, I woke up tingling and numb on the left side of my body. I couldn’t sit upright without pressure and pain rising in my neck and head. My back had spasmed inward to the point where I couldn’t lay flat on any surface. I was in and out of the ER with no clue as to what was wrong with me. I couldn’t sleep in any position without pain. I had sporadic muscle weakness in certain parts of my body on the left side and shooting jolts of pain that came and went sporadically. There were days when my left leg would stop functioning and I’d have to drag it just to get to the bathroom in my own home. I couldn’t sit up or sit long in any chair without pressure rising in my head to the point I would get dizzy and have to lie down. I had random pain, swelling, inflammation and pulling in my face. I had days where my temples felt like they were going to explode unrelated to a headache or migraine. There were days where I woke up and my entire body felt like it was on fire. There were lots of days when my vision was extremely blurry. I even had days where I couldn’t even move and was home bound for weeks at a time.

I averaged 5 doctor appointments a week and sometimes up to 3 in one day. I had so many other unexplainable symptoms that ER, primary and specialty doctors all looked at me perplexed every visit, while making arbitrary guesses of what they thought it might be; Multiple Sclerosis being among the assumptions. This all resulted in a couple of ER visits, a team of 7 different doctors and specialists, 5 X-rays, 2 CT scans, 4 MRIs, 2 ultrasounds, and an EMG where they stuck needles in different parts of my body and made me flex to check for muscle weakness. Alongside all of that, I was given a nerve conduction study where they electric shocked me in different parts of my body to check for nerve damage, that was the worse pain of my life. I had a couple of blood work panels, 2 incorrect prescriptions of meds that led to side effects of insomnia, anxiety and emotional hysteria for a couple of weeks, a reaction to the meds that I was pumped with in the ER that caused my face to burn and throat to close to the point where I could barely talk for a few days. This all ended with several months of being unable to go to work or work period due to all of my restrictions. The several doctors appointments all concluded with no diagnosis and no clue as to what was wrong.

In and out of the ER for months but smiling because I knew God was bigger than what I was going through

The doctors couldn’t help me…But God!

All of this was going on and I still had peace God would work it out as He’d done so many times before. In these moments I didn’t just wait around for things to change, I prayed with expectation and went to God’s word that showed me all of His promises already proclaimed over my life. My favorite scripture, Jeremiah 29:11 showed me, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” I knew God had a plan for me and it was not my current situation. My cousin, Sylvia Grant, who was miraculously healed from Dystonia (See previous blog post for her story) showed me the stories in the Bible where Jesus healed the sick and shared with me that healing is still available in present day when we are open to receiving what’s already been given to us through the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross.

God put the right people in place to help me through all of this even when I wanted to act prideful and handle it on my own. God sent friends, strangers, co-workers, church family and people I didn’t even know had my phone number from high school to cross my path in the moments I needed it the most.

The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy but God has come to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). I received my full healing and restoration back in March of 2016! I went from barely being able to move to dancing before the Lord at my church. How, you ask? Well you will just have to stick around for Part 2 to find out.

Until the next faith testimony…