Seeking the Son
by William J. Griffin
, I attempted to take my
own life. At the time I
had woo many reasons
not to live, but no
excuse. I had reached the
bottom of a downward
spiral that began the
moment I turned my back
on my family and my God
over eight years ago.
Three days before
Christmas I was in a
minor car accident that
resulted in major damage.
My spine had been
injured, resulting in the
entirety of my back
refusing to properly
function. After seeking
medical attention, I
began another college
semester full of physical
therapy and opiate-based
prescription meds.
Due to previous
experiences with drugs
“scored” off the streets,
I
managed to get on a heavy
dosage of methadone for
the pain - a drug
usually reserved for
cancer patients and
heroin addicts - knowing
full
well my own fleshly
desire to get high.
Within weeks of final
exams, I
had reduced myself to a
pill popping, cocaine
addicted, drunken
failure.
Even though, during the
previous 2 years I had
maintained a 4.0
average, I now could not
even make it to class and
had to take
incompletes from all of
my courses. After a two
month long
detoxification and
recovery period spent at
home with my parents,
life
seemed to be on the up
and up.
All by my own doing,
which is why I fell into
an even worse drug-
addiction not long after
my recovery. I had found
a good full-time
job, but by the time I
received my first
paycheck, I had already
returned to alcohol abuse
and illegal purchases of
painkillers.
I didn’t last long. In
the latter part of July,
I began to intensify
my opiate addiction by
using the drugs
intravenously. What
started as
small infrequent uses
grew into a ravenous
hunger. Within a few
months
I had lost a handful of
friends and jobs to an
addiction I could no
longer control.
Then the drug supplies
ran out. I had borrowed
too much from my
dealers, and my other
“hook-ups” were tired of
seeing me beg for more.
My physical body rebelled
in pain and withdrawals,
my soul was in a
pit of depression, and I
tried to drown it all
away in the bottom of a
bottle.
By the last week of
November, I had had
enough and began turning
again
to cocaine highs, but
this time through
injection - a form of
cocaine
use I had been wary of
for many years.
By that Friday I had
unsuccessfully increased
the amount I was
“shooting up” all in
order to find an end to
my life... an escape from
all the pain and
suffering.
When I awoke the
following day, I was
surprised to be alive.
The near
overdose experience of
the previous night had my
body crying out. I
did the only thing I knew
to do… got drunk, and hit
the freeway. Even
though I expected to
“crash and burn” by God’s
grace my life was
spared, yet again, and I
reached my parents’ home
and sought help.
Thank you Jesus. Within
hours I found myself
detoxifying yet again at
the psychiatric ward -
just another step in the
ultimate plan God had
in store for my life.
I had sought God’s
forgiveness for my sinful
ways, and arrived at the
Spokane Dream Center,
Glory to God! I am now
born again, filled with
His Holy Spirit, and
delivered from my
addictions. My body has
been
healed from all pain and
suffering,
He has freed me from
depression, restored my
relationship with my
family and shown me the
miracle of new life in
our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
The Dream Center has been
a life changing
experience for me and
will
continue to be so. I am
surrounded by my newfound
brothers, and the
church body here has
welcomed me into the fold
like the prodigal son.
By His strength I have
grown less like me and
found that all things
are possible through
Christ. The prayers and
support you all have
provided reach further
than you may ever know…
THANK YOU!!! My thanks
and prayers also go out
to my Pastors and
Teachers here… GOD BLESS
YOU!!! My heart’s one
desire is to obey the
Lord, no matter the cost.
I am learning daily to
rely on Him for all
things and to seek first
His Kingdom. God has
given me a heart to
worship and praise Him
through music as well as
to spread the gospel of
Christ to the nations
among those who have ears
to hear.
Thank you Jesus,
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