Braiding Bread Reminds Me of My First Time

Two are better than one,
because they have a good 
return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, 
they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands 
is not quickly broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV

On December 2, 2011, I started a journey only God knew was before me. On this Thursday evening, I shared my testimony for the first time at the Believer's Chapel North Church in Mexico, New York. When  my friend Beth suggested the idea I wasn't sure she had the right person. I honestly thought, Who really wants to hear my testimony? I agreed to meet with Beth and Christine to talk about what their thoughts were and my fit. I wasn't even sure I had a testimony but in the simplest of terms,  "A Christian testimony is given when Christians relate how we came to know the God of the Bible through the moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts." 

With this definition in mind, I realized I have a testimony and if the Holy Spirit placed my sharing on the hearts of these women and this church, then the least I could do was accept the invitation. Even after our meeting, I didn't have confidence yet in my heart but at the same time, I felt God's peace about the opportunity. I spent weeks in preparation, looking up verses I'd read many times before and seeking out new ones. I prayed and sought God's words to share with the women to attend. I prayed for strength to share and open hearts to receive.

It was more than three years ago, since this first speaking opportunity, I've shared my testimony twenty-four times since this time. Each time God amazes me as His message of revelation, healing, grace, and hope are revealed to others through my story.

One prayer I have each time I speak is for people to leave talking about Jesus and all that God did and continues to do in my life. This is my journey yet it's God's mission working through me.

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So what does any of this have to do with braiding bread you wonder, well let me explain. During this first speaking engagement I focused on the letter "T", the main focus, T doesn't have to stand for tragedy. Through a relationship with Jesus, the T becomes Triumph and some other things. 

We need God yet we also need others. I demonstrated this by having a few volunteers braid three different colors of flagging tape together. Two were of the same thickness and the other, white and an even thicker quality. The two colors represented us and the people in our lives with the white representing God. Do you remember the Bible verse I started with earlier in the blog, "A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  After my guest braiders finished, I asked them to pull as I shared about the trials life might bring us. It took them a bit but eventually the braid broke.

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I'm thankful for the "bread braiding" addition to my kitchen, it saves time and allows me to make Challah Bread with a little more ease because the device my Dad made for me holds the three strands together while I braid. As wonderful and as this is, there is a greater blessing of Three - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity we call God. Whether there are three strands or ribbon or dough, one trio remains, the Three Person's of God.

Have you ever had a "squirrel" moment?

What were you doing that triggered a memory or thought about something very off topic?