On the first day of his national exams, 17-year-old Jonathan Leon Lim experienced his first seizure.
“I had epileptic seizures up to three times a week. My friends didn’t know how to deal with the change, and I lived in fear of being alone,” he recalls.
Although he served in church, Jonathan had yet to develop a faith he could call his own. After his parents separated and his brother was diagnosed with leukaemia, his health issues felt like the final blow.
Determined to achieve greatness on his own terms, Jonathan pursued a degree in advertising and took up mixed martial arts (MMA) during university.
“My coach, who became like a dad to me, taught me how to take care of my health and cook good meals. I improved so much and became so attuned to my body that I was able to control my seizures,” he said.
At 22, doctors finally discovered the cause of his seizures – a tumour in an unexpected part of his brain. Two years later, he underwent surgery but woke up unable to speak or move the right side of his body.
The next five months were spent in the hospital, where postoperative complications led to two additional surgeries. Those months, Jonathan says, left an indelible mark on him.
In his fourth month, when his recovery seemed bleak, a young woman was admitted to the hospital. Jonathan felt a strong prompting to encourage her. His first words to her were, “Do not blame your God. It doesn’t work.”
“After that, I questioned God, ‘Why didn’t You send anyone to encourage me like I encouraged her?’ As I said those words, I realised that people had been visiting me every day since I was admitted,” he said.
Then, he heard the Lord say, “You are loved.” In the hospital stairwell, Jonathan fell to his knees in tears. “That day, I surrendered my life to Him. Whatever He gives me, I will accept.”
Discovering true joy
The next day, he was able to move his hand. Later, his mother arrived with incredible news – his hospital bill had been fully covered by generous friends.
He later learned that the woman he had been led to speak to was an orphan raised by a church community. She had been struggling to accept her circumstances, but Jonathan’s words reminded her of God’s unfailing presence.
“In that encounter, God saved both her and me,” he said.
Jonathan once thought that salvation was the ultimate goal, but he soon realised that God’s plans extended far beyond a single miracle.
“After a miracle happens, what’s next? You cannot live in that miracle forever. I couldn’t go back to advertising or the world of MMA, which I loved, so I started cooking,” he said.
With unwavering determination, Jonathan became a pastry chef in the fine dining scene. For four years, he didn’t take a single day of annual or medical leave, working tirelessly from 9:30 a.m. to midnight every day.
“In the culinary world, my desire to achieve greatness resurfaced. I worked my way up until I received a dream offer – an opportunity to work for a Michelin-starred restaurant overseas. I was set to start in July 2020, then the pandemic hit,” he shared.
Forced to stay home, he turned to baking sourdough. That evening, his mother proudly showed off one of his loaves to her friends on Zoom, and soon, requests started pouring in.
“Everyone wanted to buy fresh bread, so I agreed to bake. When I delivered the bread to these uncles and aunties, a strange feeling came over me – joy,” Jonathan said.
It was then that he realised cooking was his gift, but not his true passion. His joy came from serving and nourishing others, leading him to make a life-changing decision.
A season of hills and valleys
With just RM30 left in his bank account after paying contract termination fees and a business registration fee, Jonathan became a home-based entrepreneur.
He quickly learned that Malaysians weren’t fond of the hard crust and strong tang of traditional European sourdough. After three months of experimentation, he developed the Adaptive Malaysian sourdough – a version with a softer crumb, thinner crust, and lighter flavour.
“Soon, I was baking 60 loaves a day and driving 200 km to make deliveries. On the road, I grew closer to God through sermons and online services,” he said.
As his business flourished, investors took notice. In November 2021, Bray Bakery opened its doors in a quiet office building in Kuala Lumpur.
Jonathan led the kitchen, but tensions among his partners and misplaced priorities caused a rapid downfall. Before long, Bray Bakery was RM1.4 million in debt.
“God came through. He showed me that the culture I had built in the kitchen – a spirit of ownership, encouragement, and teamwork had the power to transform the industry,” he said.
Determined to rebuild, Jonathan let go of his senior team and started fresh with a group of Gen Zers. In just four months, the business turned a profit.
But as the days of success stretched into months and years, Jonathan found himself grappling with a new challenge – stagnation.
“I’d achieved greatness, and for what? I fell into depression, and thus began another season in the wilderness,” Jonathan admitted.
Following God, wherever He leads
On Good Friday in 2023, a preacher’s words struck him deeply: The carrier of Christ on Palm Sunday was a donkey.
“It hit me like a tonne of bricks,” he said with a sad smile. “I had never given God any of the credit. Just like the donkey, I thought everyone was clapping for me, but in reality, they were clapping for Jesus.”
Convicted, Jonathan immersed himself in spiritual disciplines – fasting, prayer, worship, and time in the Word. Over the next year, his faith deepened, and he has never looked back.
Today, Bray Bakery generates seven figures annually. Jonathan bakes less now, having learned to entrust his leaders with greater responsibility. The Lord has also led him to focus on macro impact: mentoring, leadership, and business development.
“I have found my identity in Christ and not my career,” he added.
As he began training his staff based on biblical values and principles from Craig Groeschel, he witnessed a shift – greater synergy and growth.
“God showed me that the industry is broken. It can be toxic and abusive, but we are taught to accept it. He is calling me to become an investor who changes the landscape,” he said.
Now, the 33-year-old likens himself to Joseph – a man with a dream, unsure of how the Lord will bring it to pass.
“Although I’m the captain of my ship, I will just let down my sails and let His wind guide me. That way, no matter what happens, I know it’s God, and He has a purpose,” Jonathan explained.
Looking back on his journey, he has learned one key lesson: Our sense of self holds us back. But if we go with God, we will grow. Following Christ, he adds, is not about waiting passively – it requires actively seeking Him.
Jonathan now feels called to pass on a legacy of faith to the next generation, just as his mother did for him.
“Many years ago, I asked my mum how she could hold onto God after everything she had been through – her husband leaving and both her sons battling major illnesses. She didn’t answer me until two years ago,” he shared.
She revealed that all those years ago, she had prayed a simple prayer of full surrender, offering her life to Christ for His purposes. Her only request was that the Lord keep her children safe and close to Him.
“It was because of her sacrifices, prayers, and spiritual covering that I found my way back to God,” he said with solemn gratitude. “Now, it’s my turn to pass it on.”
Jonathan Leon Lim is the founder of Bray Bakery, known for its iconic sourdough.
