COLUMBUS, Ohio (WordNews.org) Jan. 19, 2013 – Christian singer and songwriter Jamie Grace — who’s rocking out at the Winter Jam Tour with the likes of tobyMac and Matthew West — accepted Jesus has her Lord and Savior when she was 7 years old.
The daughter of a pastor, she was singing in church her whole life, she told WordNews.org.
“A lot of times as a kid you feel like your story’s not adequate when you’re saying, ‘I’m a pastor’s kid.’ Where was my big moment, when I realized everything?’”
That big moment would come years later, after the death of one dream and the birth of another.
“My whole life was filled with gymnastics—about six years of it,” she said. “And I was convinced I’d do it for the rest of my life.”
True, she loved singing, but that was something she would do on the side.
“I was an athletic kid, I loved sports and I loved being active and that’s what I wanted my life to be filled with,” Jamie said.
But something happened that would change her course forever.
“When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with Tourett’s Syndrome, which causes movements and sounds called tics that you can’t control,” Jamie said.
Jamie had a severe case.
“A lot of the twitches – they’re primarily physical but there are some vocal twitches as well – interrupted a lot of everyday tasks, like walking, like talking, holding things, doing school work, riding in the car, everything was a challenge for me. I would consistently hit my arms and my head on things and fractured a couple bones. Now it’s not as severe but 11, 12, 13 years old, I basically spent every day at home, meaning I gymnastics. That was probably one of the most heart breaking things. I still can’t imagine what that was like for my parents, seeing my biggest dream and [my] not being able to do it.”

Come back next Saturday to learn how God gave Jamie a new dream