I have to share one of the moments when my mom was here. Most of you reading this don't know that my mom was/is an alcoholic. For the first 9 years of my life my mom spent most of her days with a bottle to her mouth, not remembering the next day what happened the night before. There are certain things I remember when I was little but not much. I remember that she was always a loving/caring mother that would do absolutely anything for me. To make matters worse my father was also an alcoholic so my mom didn't have the support she needed to get help. My dad died when I was 8 years old on New Years Eve. My mom continued to drink for the next year or so. Until one day, she woke up from a hangover, looked herself in the mirror and said, "I have got to change." My mom took her last drink on St. Patrick's Day, 1998. She called that day and became apart of an AA group that was meeting close to where we lived. She had the utmost support from my step dad, Ted, and began her road to sobriety. She will tell you now that it wasn't easy. There were days that all she wanted to do was pick up a bottle of liquor and drink the whole thing. But through this journey something bigger happened. Something that she didn't plan. Through this journey she found the one person that had been there all along. She found Jesus. He met her exactly where she was and told her that He had been waiting. While she had a lot of questions about this so called "God," she kept searching and within a couple of years, gave her life to Christ and has never looked back. That's the beautiful thing about our King, He has always and will always be there.
I tell you all of this because my favorite moment when my mom was here was when we went to Living Grace, the drug and rehab center that falls under the Living Hope umbrella of ministries. She sat among 10-15 people who are on the same journey she was on 15 years ago. Some had been clean for a couple months, some 2 weeks, and some 1 day. As we sat there I couldn't help but look at the faces in that circle. Some looked excited. Others looked terrified. As I looked over at my mom I could see the love she already had for these people. Strangers in our eyes, but children of the most high God. Children that are so loved and cared for that He doesn't need us but He chooses us to walk alongside them. My mom quietly raised her hand and shared with the people in the circle. She told them, "don't give up...I have sat where you are sitting...the road isn't easy but it's worth it...I have seen my life change dramatically...Instead of waking up ashamed and unaware of the night before, I wake up with joy and the realization that I am so loved and adored...It will get better...Stick with it..." As I listened to the words come out of my moms mouth my eyes filled with tears. This woman that I have called my mom for 25 years is truly a beautiful example of grace. I am so thankful that she was able to come here and not only hang out with us and encourage us, but also speak truth into peoples lives who are seeking Christ more then ever. She shines so brightly and people can see the love of Christ inside of her. My prayer is my mom's words stick with those sitting in that circle at Living Grace. When the day comes that they want to take a sip of alcohol or have some drugs, they will remember the words my mom spoke. That they will remember the road isn't going to be easy, but the reward of knowing and living a life for Christ is far greater then anything that they could ever imagine. Thank you mom for being the women you are, for loving people the way you do, and for showing me the joy of the Lord. You are my hero.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
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