Strengthened by a Mother’s Love

She accepted Christ when she was just six years old and attended Saddleback Church with her family from the time she was in the second grade. She has always felt comfortable with the basics of her faith—that Jesus came to earth, died for her sins, and rose from the dead. Faith seemed simple—until her faith was tested by a broken heart.

In ninth grade, a boy arrived on the scene and Jordan’s life would never be the same. For the two years they dated, life had them on two separate paths; they just didn’t recognize how separate. During their relationship, he became an atheist. Blinded by love, they spoke about their conflicting beliefs, but neither forced their viewpoint on the other.

Jordan’s mother Deanna worried about how serious the young teens were becoming, so she and her husband stepped in and broke up the relationship. Jordan was wounded by the breakup, but the hurt gave her a fierce desire to have a faith that was more than just ‘safe.’ As she started to more deeply understand the unconditional love and acceptance of God, she also began to forgive her parents. Instead of letting her disappointment turn her away from faith, she was captivated by Christ’s wholehearted love.

“I didn’t want to believe just because my family raised me as a Christian. I wanted to believe for myself.”

Jordan began to study to apologetics. Her HSM (High School Ministry) small group rallied behind her and was very supportive as she jumped headlong into both the historical and scientific proof of Jesus Christ The more she learned, the more she celebrated God’s presence in her life.

Yet, it was never just an academic pursuit for Jordan; she also renewed her desire to center her life on Christ. God healed her heart, so she now helps others lean on God during the storms of life.

“Faith is accepting the grace that redeems us and placing our most painful problems in his hands, then abandoning our worries to his power,” she explains.

Jordan, with her zeal for children, volunteers as a tutor for TLC, an organization providing after-school educational instruction to children in grades K – 6. And, in the fall, she will start her freshman year at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. She plans to combine her love of apologetics with a behavioral studies major. After suffering a broken heart, Jordan now believes God is writing an extraordinary story with her life—using her pain to invite others into the love of God. And it was the love of her mother that helped guide her on her way.