This week’s moving HerStory feature comes from our friend Renee – the Devotional Diva and spiritual encourager of the 20-somethings. Through her story of brokenness, Renee lives to spur others forward in their walk with Jesus daily.
I was born into a Christian family. When I was four I told my mom I would be old enough to accept the responsibility of becoming a “Christian” when I turned five. It’s amazing that I’ve known exactly what I want even from a young age. On June 24th, 1987 I accepted the challenge and have been living dangerously ever since.
While growing up, my parents decided to join staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and the Jesus Film Project. It was during the transition that my mother home schooled me and I learned to write, play piano, and create.
The living dangerously part didn’t hit until Junior High when I started to experience severe anxiety. I never wanted to leave the house. I was always afraid. When I was afraid I ate. When I ate I was afraid even more so because I would get fat. It was a vicious cycle I still struggle with.
If that weren’t enough, I began suffering with acute eczema on my skin, which led to even more painful anxiety. I lost the skin off my hands, feet, and face and it took 10 solid years to heal from that. During those painful years I clung to God. No, I stalked him. I read the Word every day. I developed the habit of daily devotions. I sought help from the Lord and He heard my hundreds of thousands of prayers along with the prayers of family, and friends.
My relationship with God flourished and others began noticing the change. My skin healed, and the more God did the more I kept writing. While I was in college I changed my major from math and decided to pursue writing. In pursuing my dreams, I was able to graduate from Biola College Bold program with a degree in Business Organizational Leadership and Management in 2008.
I used my strengths while working at Outreach Events where I represented the Top Christian Speakers & Writers such as Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, John Ortberg & others. It only took eight years to hit it big-time and got discovered on Twitter to publish my first book, “Faithbook of Jesus” one of the first daily devotional for 20-somethings written by a 20-something.
I spend my days doing what I was created to do best: to write and speak with passion, spur others forward, and to serve with a willing spirit.