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Stories of Changed Lives |
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 Scott
Scott grew up with a sense of emptiness-a hole in his life where something was meant to be. Scott tried filling the void with a number of different things, but nothing seemed to fit. The search to fill that void eventually led Scott to drug abuse.
"Drugs led me down a dark path of destruction. There were times I would come home only to find my wife Michelle crying in candlelight because the electricity had been shut off. I had used the money that should have gone to the electric company to buy drugs. One time, I was working out a cocaine deal and it all went bad. I went running to my truck and the guys opened fire on me. I dove into my car, but I was so hooked on the drug that, with bullets flying at me, I stopped and got high before I drove away. I was powerless over my addiction. I had reached a point where life just didn't seem to matter anymore."
Scott's search to fill his emptiness was destroying his life and his family. But God's love meets us in our time of greatest need.
A friend told Scott that a church was giving out free food. With all of his money going toward his addictions, Scott would take decided to check it out. Soon he brought his whole family back for a free meal. During that visit, Scott heard about a program at the church called Alpha.
"They said that it was a no pressure introduction to Christianity and when I saw that one of the topics was 'Who was Jesus?' I was interested in learning more. I honestly did not know anything about Jesus, but I was searching for something to fill the hole that I felt inside. I already knew that doing things my way didn't work, so I signed both Michelle and I up for the course."
Nobody needed to tell Scott that he was a sinner. He knew that the way he was living his life was destructive. He felt powerless to change anything. But what he didn't know was that through Jesus, God made a way for humans to be free of their sins; that God's plan for humans involves them living life to the full, not just getting by day to day. Through the Alpha course, Scott learned a lot about God-that God loves him, that Jesus died for his sins, and that he is forgiven and can start living life as a new creation. Soon, Scott made a commitment to follow Jesus.
"Immediately I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I no longer had to feel guilt and shame for my past."
Scott's life dramatically changed after that. His old way of life was gone. He was a new man and it was evident to everyone around him. It was especially evident to his wife Michelle. To read her story, click here. His life has changed for the better. In fact, it's the best it could be.
Or as Scott puts it, "My emptiness has been filled."
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 Michelle
It's easy to overlook our own problems, especially when someone close has issues that seem overwhelming. We can put so much time and energy into fixing that person that we don't even think to look at ourselves.
This was true for Michelle. Her husband Scott had been dealing with drug addiction and it was tearing their family apart (to read Scott's story, click here). Michelle was doing her best to support Scott, but it was taking a toll on her.
"His downward spiral had left me physically and emotionally spent, "recalls Michelle. "I had tried for too long to maintain the facade that all was good for Scott and I, but our house was crumbling. I kept believing that I could do everything myself until the day came that I found myself falling to my knees and crying out 'Who is going to take care of me?'"
When we feel like God is a million miles away and we need him the most, that is the time we discover he's been there all along. In the midst of Scott's struggle with drugs, he and Michelle were invited to a barbeque at a local church. There they learned about a program called Alpha, a no pressure introduction to Christianity. Scott signed them both up for the course. Michelle was skeptical, but wanted her husband get help.
"During the course I started to see a change in Scott that was definitely for the better! My perspective was, 'this Alpha thing is for Scott and the change is good.' I didn't think I had any problems and so I wasn't really looking for any help.
"I didn't realize that God had plans for me as well."
During the course, Scott accepted God's gift of forgiveness and began to follow Jesus. The change Michelle had seen was there to stay and would only continue to grow. Scott showed care and leadership for her and their daughters that Michelle had never seen in him before. It became evident to her this was about more than getting off drugs. Scott was a new man from the inside out. Seeing what Jesus did for Scott, Michelle realized that he wasn't the only one who needed a Savior.
"I told God I was sorry for my sins and thanked him for sending his only Son, Jesus, to save me. It was an unbelievable change like the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. I was changed on the inside."
We all have parts of our lives that aren't the way God intended. These parts are what the Bible calls sinful and they separate us from God. Sometimes they are very evident, like Scott's drug addiction. Other times they hide themselves well within normal life. But they are still against God's plan for the world, damaging our life, the lives of those around us, and the world as a whole.
Through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we are forgiven of our sins, past, present and future. And through his resurrection, we are given new life, life as it was intended to be lived. That is the life that Michelle now lives. And it's available to everyone.
Today, Michelle is committed to following Jesus. "I try to live my life in a manner that glorifies God. Here I am, a new creation by God's grace. He is filling me with great hope and enabling me to touch the lives of others."
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