Imagine Living the Worst Day of Your Life…Every Day
Tragedy can affect anyone. The death of a loved one, drug and alcohol addiction, cancer diagnosis, being the victim of a crime, destroyed relationships, heartache, and the list goes on.
But what if that was your life: Every. Single. Day.
For people who struggle with addiction this is their reality. Every day is the worst day. They don’t go back to their vice because it satisfies them. They go back because it doesn’t. No amount of drugs or alcohol can ever fill the void in a person’s life.
Several years ago I got a call about a man who was living in a garage.
He was only six years old when he started smoking and nine when he started drinking alcohol.
As a teen his mom started to go to church. He said “I can remember hearing about Jesus and seeing how he was transforming people around me and experiencing Him and wanting that. But also wanting this worldly life that I was living. So I tried to walk one foot in each world for a long time.”
His addiction destroyed his life. He was in and out of prison. He said at one point he had “destroyed every relationship that I had. Lost my job, my family, my car, my home, all within six months.”
Several times he tried to take his own life and was so angry at God. “I was just screaming and cursing at God. Daring him to take my life. How dare [God] let me do the things I did to people. Literally blaming Him for my actions.”
No matter how hard he tried, he always went back to his addictions. Imagine this: knowing that something is currently destroying your life and yet you run right back to it. As Proverbs 26:11 says “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” He knew it was destroying him but he couldn’t stop the cycle.
One of the times he was in prison a verse on a plaque his mother gave him suddenly came back to his memory. Jeremiah 29:11 which says “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
He realized that “God had not left me like I thought He did. I did not run far enough to get away from God. He had been standing there the entire time and He never gave up no matter what despicable thing that I did. No matter who I hurt, what I did, or how much I cursed Him. He just continued to be there waiting for me. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I could feel His presence. I knew that I belonged to Him. I wanted to live for Jesus.”
Tragically several months later when he got out of prison within a few short hours temptation was waiting and he was already back with alcohol. Within a month he was homeless again.
One day he was ready to break that cycle for good.
“I was sick and I couldn’t get anything to get better. And I just broke down and I cried out to God, and I asked Him to take it from me. I said I can’t live like this anymore. I begged for forgiveness.”
When I got the recovery call for this man it was January and it was very cold. He was detoxing in a huge garage and finally at his rock bottom.
He had said, “I have nowhere to go, I've hurt everyone in my life and if I don’t get help I'm going to die. Please help me.” Right away we were able to help him get into treatment and help start his journey of freedom through Christ.
“I knew that God had relieved me of the chains of addiction. Not that I would never struggle or never desire but I would never have to be captive to that ever again. I could literally feel it taken off of me.
“I would not be anywhere that I am right now or have anything that I have today if it were not for Christ. My recovery, my walk with Him, my life now, none of it would happen if I had not completely laid myself face down at the feet of Jesus. That’s our only hope.”
We are here to help people like this man. Because change through Jesus Christ is possible. This man’s life has been transformed and we want to be able to continue to be used by God in people’s lives and share more stories like this.
People in the grip of addiction need physical help but most importantly they need Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can set us free!
This is why we desire to help others, because we know the pain and we know what it's like to be set free.
Addiction isn’t always talked about and people do not always know how and where to get help. They have to want it first and be willing to change. But for those we are willing, we are here for them.
Everyday we spend time in our community, share meals or a cup of coffee, we have the opportunity to help champion life transformation in the life of someone hurting. We care because God cares. It's because of God’s provision, and your prayers and financial support that we are able to meet so many needs. Together we will see many more lives changed.
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