Crystal Meth and Your Story of Redemption

Crystal Meth and Your Story of Redemption

I recently reconnected with a young woman (Becca) I knew while I was a mere lad in Phoenix, AZ.  Becca’s family was successful, highly involved in church, and genuinely loved each other.  But Becca had some deep inner struggles that most of never knew about. Here is a glimpse inside the turmoil of Becca’s life…

“My name is Rebecca Cook and I live in Florida. I am a 36 year old single mother of 2 boys. I was born and raised in Phoenix in a Christian family. My Parents served God and tried to show me how much they loved me. I am the youngest child in our family and have an older brother and sister. I grew up in (what the world would call) “the perfect” family, yet I always felt that I didn’t belong in this family and that God made a mistake by placing me there. Frankly, I thought God just made a mistake by making me. My story is about the incredible miracle God has performed in my life almost 2 years ago. He has set me free and delivered me. You see, I was in a life long battle. Almost every sin that a woman could commit, I did. Because of the pain from feeling unloved, unaccepted, not belonging anywhere, and simply just not good “enough”, I walked down a path of rebellion, sin and destruction which led me into a life of bondage and shame. My parents took custody of my boys for 2 and ½ years as I sank further into the dark pit that had become my life. At this time, my diagnosis were: Bulimia, Alcoholic, Drug Addict (Chrystal meth), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Bi-Polar, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, Agoraphobia (fear of going outside) and Germaphobia, just to name a few!! I was on nine different medications prescribed by my Psychiatrist. This was my battle for twenty years. I have been in five of the best treatment centers in America, only to have my final report stating that I “would barely be able to ever function in society. I would need to be on medication for the rest of my life.” WHAM.....not a story of hope!! But God..................................I went to Africa with a missionary and during a prayer session, God set me free and delivered me from it ALL.”

This is an amazing story (made me cry) of God’s redemptive love at work. But for many of us “our story” of redemption feels so, well…boring! Here is where I am going with all of this. In Becca I get the sense that because of the amazing way that God healed her she has a strong desire to help others.  But isn’t her story of redemption really our story too? Becca was delivered from the addiction of Crystal Meth, but is our story of deliverance really any less amazing? Maybe it is more of a challenge to be amazed because our demons/addictions can be cloaked in respectability (greed, narcissism, power, career,). In Matthew 18 Jesus tells us the story of the unforgiving servant. Making a long parable short, the servant is forgiven of a great debt, but refuses to pass along the same forgiveness to others. The core problem for the servant (our problem too) is that he lost sight of how much he had been forgiven. Because of this he was not a person of grace, compassion and mercy. Haven’t we been forgiven much? Haven’t we been healed in order to bring healing to others? On a theological level we know that we have been delivered from sin and brokenness. But it makes me wonder…why don’t we live with this same sense of inspiration? Maybe I can put it another way; what is it that disconnects our daily life from the cross? Why do we struggle to live with the same gratitude and sense of wonder as a person who has been delivered from the bondage of Crystal Meth? Personally I have found that when I am using my life for the good of others (powerless, hurting, broken) that those are the very moments in which I feel most ALIVE as a human, as a follower of Christ.

What is your story of redemption? Would love to hear about it…

Here is Becca’s website in case you want to read the full  story: www.beccasnewsong.org