| Inspired Books LLC All rights reserved. |
Inspired Books LLC
Excerpts
Excerpts
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| A Woman with an Issue "A Mother's Memoir of Addiction, Loss, Redemption, and Recovery" It was a Sunday in May, 1997. I stood in the pew of the church, tears rolling down my face. I somehow knew right then I would never be the same when I left the church that day. The minister was asking that everyone come forward and give all their worries and cares to God, and He would heal them. I didn’t believe what the minister was saying; I thought it was just a normal part of the service. But I felt a warm tingling sensation through my whole body and I just couldn’t stop crying. The minister kept urging people to come forward and I just knew that he was speaking to me. All I could think about was how miserable my life was and how out of control it had become. I continued to cry as my feet began to move and I made it to the altar. As I fell to my knees and started thanking God and asking for forgiveness, the warming sensation was still there. The minister stood by me and said, “Give it all to God. Turn over everything and everyone, and God will heal you and take care of you.” I called out my addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, and saw my experiences rolling by like a picture show. I called out the names of my children, all six of them, and I saw their faces. I called out the abusive relationship that I was in and I saw that man’s face. All the while I was crying and begging God to heal me. And as I did, I could feel the weight of all I carried lift from my body, my heart and my soul. I believe that the Holy Spirit moved in me that day and that it is by God’s wonderful mercy and grace that I haven’t used drugs or alcohol since. There were so many times that God tried to reach me and I didn’t even notice. It’s funny how God sometimes has to hit us over our heads for us to realize that all we have to do is ask, and it shall be given. I left that service a new person, and I knew in my heart that God was with me and would carry me through, no matter what lay ahead. |
