As I reflect on the recent news of Cory Monteith’s death, it brings tears to my eyes; yet another human life taken by drugs.
How many times have we heard this same sad story, over and over?
I’ve had numerous friends die in drug related deaths, some of them more shocking than others.
Right at this very moment, I can think of at least 20 people in my immediate circle of friends and family that are addicted to some sort of substance.
Multiply those statistics by everyone. The numbers are absolutely staggering.
Addiction is a horrible epidemic so many of us are faced with. It affects MILLIONS, that’s right I said millions, of us on a daily basis, whether directly or indirectly.
If you don’t know my story or are new to this outlet, I write from the lens of addiction and how my life was saved by the grace of God. A real-life miracle.
I’m thankful God acted in my life and changed the path I was headed down. I feel a burning pain when I hear things like this because I always think, “That could have been me.” It’s the whole reason I will continue to write, speak and share until I’m blue in the face.
The more I share the realness of my situation with others, the more I realize it connects me to other people in a way like never before. The minute I tell someone I don’t drink and why, is the same minute I have an instant bond with him or her.
Why? Because when I break it down to my real truth, tell the story of how I hit rock bottom after grappling with addiction for years and how God saved my life – they immediately open up and share how addiction has affected their life. Either they have had a similar problem themselves or their children, their brothers or sisters, their nieces or nephews, their best friends – there is always someone down the line that they can relate my experience with.
Addiction can take over an entire life. No one is off limits.
[Tweet “Even the best of people can get caught up in the worst of things.”]
If you or anyone you know is battling addiction, speak up and speak out.
It matters. You matter. They matter.
The severity of the substance problem we face is real. It is life threatening and we must come together if we stand the slightest chance of beating even just a fraction of it.
There will definitely be sadness and mourning over the loss of Cory Monteith and we should pray for everyone affected that they will find comfort, peace and calmness in the weeks to come.
Perhaps this will be a wake up call for some.
For others, who are suffering from addiction, maybe they will hear this and realize they DO need help.
And maybe, even you will read this and understand someone in your life is really struggling.
On the positive side, I hope it will also shed more light on this out of control issue so many people are plagued with across the world.
While we have been on the subject of praying, I encourage everyone to say a prayer in your own life. That is what I did one dreary Sunday morning 5 years ago. I got on my hands and knees and prayed to a God I had never spoken to before.
A lot of people, myself included, don’t know where to start. Let me give you this prayer to use as it is very similar to the prayer I once prayed that saved my life.
A Prayer For Addiction
“God, please help _________ (you or someone else). I know _______ can’t do this alone. Please, help ________ to know that you are there. I pray that you would take away these addictions and help _______ change my/his/her life around. Please come inside this heart and fill it with your power, strength and love so that these demons may be overcome. Please God, help!”
Let us all remember, even where there is tragedy, Miracles Are Brewing.