My Testimony
I was saved at a Youth Evangelism Conference in Virginia in July 2000 when I was 15 years old. At the time, I struggled deeply with self-image and loneliness. I was the creative, artsy girl who never quite fit in and didn’t understand that my worth came from God. Though I had heard of Jesus as a child, I didn’t know Him personally or understand His love for me.
At the conference, when the altar call was given, I wondered if God could really love someone like me. My friend encouraged me to go forward, and that day I received Jesus as my Savior. I’ll never forget the weight of His presence and the overwhelming love that filled my heart.
But soon after, life grew hard. My parents divorced, and I experienced the ache of abandonment when my father—who battled the painful ups and downs of mental illness—left home without saying goodbye. It created wounds that ran deep, and though my parents did their best and I deeply honor them, the truth and promises of God were not spoken over me. Like the Parable of the Sower, I was the seed that sprouted quickly but had no root. I was on fire for Jesus, but without discipleship or grounding in His Word, my faith withered when the storms came.
Over the years, I drifted into confusion and searched for love and meaning in all the wrong places. I tried to fill the emptiness with self-reliance, drugs, alcohol, unhealthy relationships, new age beliefs, and performance—but none of it satisfied. Yet even in my wandering, God never let me go. His mercy chased me down. In 2020, during a season of stillness and searching, Jesus opened my eyes and called me home. I rededicated my life to Him and began to truly understand what it means to be rooted in His Word.
Spiritual growth has been hard. I’ve made mistakes and faced painful lessons, but God has been so loving, kind, and patient through it all. He has shown me that redemption is a process—a daily surrender where beauty grows from brokenness.
Now, as a wife, mother, artist, author, and teacher, I see His faithfulness in every part of my story. I’ve self-published eight Christian books and use my art to glorify the Lord. I love teaching both the Bible and preschool, helping little ones see God’s truth and goodness in everything. As a swim coach, I believe we honor God with our bodies—we are temples of the Holy Spirit, designed to move, grow, and bring Him glory. I strive—though imperfectly—to be a strong example of a Christ follower in coaching, parenting, and teaching.
Having children has deepened my faith in new ways. I want my daughters, Alaina and Maia, to know the love of God from a young age—to grow up rooted in truth, not confusion like I once did. But before I could teach them that love, I had to truly understand it for myself.
Now I know who I am: a daughter of the King, rescued by grace and redeemed for His purpose. God took what the enemy meant for harm and turned it into a testimony of His faithfulness. No matter how far we wander, His love is stronger still.
Take heart, daughter—He calls you His own.
—Alissa
links:
books::: Amazon.com: Alissa Hill Kinnear: books, biography, latest update
shop:: https://alissa-ann-art.printify.me
