DURHAM, N.C. (BP)–We have both experienced the grace of God. While we had read much about this “amazing grace” in the Bible and in writings by Christian scholars, it was our firsthand knowledge through personal experiences that convinced us that God’s love and mercy were far greater than any human could ever imagine.
God rescued us — former drug addicts — from the gates of hell, defying human reason when he lovingly offered us another chance at life. We are reminded daily of that remarkable grace by those who hear us in churches and meet us through our articles and books. They are often anxious to share their own stories with two who have been there and possess an infinite knowledge of the hope that can be found in our Lord Jesus.
Some of these who share their testimonies verbally or in letter form still bear an immeasurable degree of pain and guilt. Others have thankfully passed this stage and have come to embrace what we so often proclaim, “What matters is who were are today and not who we were yesterday.” For the repentant sinner, God’s grace has washed that formally scarred life as white as snow. Those whom we meet rejoice in our revelation that a drug addict or alcoholic is not doomed to wear those sad nametags forever more. They can eventually join in our words of celebration, “We used to be drug addicts, but we are no longer drug addicts. We used to be recovering individuals, but we are no longer recovering. We are recovered forever by the grace of God, and that same hope can belong to those who hear us!”
A recent letter thrilled us, not because of the previous trials of the writer, but because she had found the meaning of Revelation 21:7, promises for the overcomer, in her own repentant acceptance of Christ’s better way.
“… I came from a Christian background and a respectable family. I never thought I could fall prey to a drug problem. But eventually as an adult, after leaving home, I adopted a more secular lifestyle. Now I would have to admit that I have just about seen and done it all. I became a miserable person. Life became a daily struggle. I felt sometimes that I barely even existed. Instead of accepting my own responsibility for my shortcomings, I turned more and more to the drug scene….
“Alcohol and marijuana were no longer enough, and so I turned to crack cocaine. For a while I enjoyed the drug. It was my crutch. I struggled to get off for years, with little success. The next hit became the reason I got out of bed in the morning. My lifestyle became embarrassing to me. I began to hate myself every time I got high. I no longer enjoyed it, but I kept doing it. I was ashamed of what I had become and how terrible I looked. I preferred to get high alone, in a closed place to ward off the growing paranoia….
“Then a straight friend of mind took me aside one night and read me the riot act. I had thought for so long that I was covering it up, but now I realized that all anyone had to do to recognize my problem was to look at me. I wasn’t fooling Jesus or anyone else. I was totally out of control and I had lost everything. I lived to get more dope. I would go days without eating. I became tired of living. But somehow I found enough self-respect and heart to fall on my knees and beg Jesus for forgiveness and the strength to battle this demon. I stopped cold turkey and haven’t been back since. I got my life back together. I don’t associate with my old friends from the drug world, and I attend church regularly. I praise God every day for giving me back my life. I remember what it was like being in the bowels of hell, and that memory, and the strength Jesus gives me, keeps me clean. Without him I would not be writing this letter.
“Thank you for letting me share this story with you. God bless you, and please continue enabling people like me to change their lives…. Praise the Lord!”
Another pilgrim had tasted the bittersweet fruits of the drug scene, and she, too, had journeyed to the gates of hell. But fortunately she had heard the words of our Lord, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
–30–
Stone and Barber, of Durham, N.C., are coauthors of two books on alcohol and drug abuse, “The Drug Tragedy – Hope for the One Who Hurts” and “The Drug Tragedy – Hope for the One Who Cares,” both available from LifeWay Christian Stores.
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