A Journey Out of Addiction: A New Beginning
In the dim light of Jake’s apartment, the shadows crept in. Jake felt like the shadows resembled the days of his life. He had once been a vibrant risk-taker, driven by ambition and dreams. Now, a haze of despair washed over him, like the after-effects of the drugs that had once promised escape from the hardships of life. Jake had battled addiction for years, a war he felt he could never win.
Jake woke up each morning with a sense of emptiness. His life once had meaning, but now it was more like a dense fog that rarely lifted. Every day brought the same cycle of highs and lows. I can’t keep going like this,” he murmured to himself, staring into the cracked mirror that reflected the hollow shell of who he once was.
On one Tuesday, as Jake wandered down a street near his apartment, a flyer caught his eye. It was nailed to a light post. On the flyer was written “Faith and Freedom: A Journey Out of Addiction.” The words tugged at him, a flicker of hope in his otherwise dull existence. Could faith truly be a path to freedom from his drug addiction?
Later that Saturday evening, Jake looked at the flyer he had taken from the light post. He was curious, but also desperate. He noted the address at the bottom of the page. The church wasn’t far from his apartment, so he decided to go to the 11:00 service the next morning.
Wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and the only button up shirt he owned, Jake stepped out into the sunshine. As he made his way down the sidewalk, he noticed the air felt lighter and warmer, as if the fog under which he had been living was lifting. He looked at his watch. He should arrive on time. A few minutes later, he stood on the steps leading up to the church’s front doors. His fear of rejection almost made him turn around, but the feeling faded almost as quickly as it had come over him. He felt compelled to step inside.
As he entered the foyer of the worship center, he was greeted by a man in a gray suit. For a moment, Jake felt underdressed, but then another man, younger, maybe 28 or 30 years old bounced into the foyer and introduced himself as the church youth group leader. His name was Luke, and he wore jeans and a t-shirt bearing the church logo. Jake introduced himself to the two men, but he hoped they wouldn’t ask any questions about his life. The two men welcomed Jake into their church and Luke led him to a seat in the worship center.
As the congregation began singing, Jake felt a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in years, the music washing over him as a wave of childhood memories flooded his mind. His grandmother had taken him to church when he was a small child, but she died when Jake was 14. He hadn’t been to church since.
After a few more songs and a couple of announcements, the pastor began his sermon. Jake tried to pay attention, but episodes of nervousness wouldn’t let his brain rest enough to pay attention. Maybe he needed a fix, but deep down inside his hurting soul, he knew a “fix” wasn’t the answer. There had to be another way out of the pit he was living in. As soon as the service was over, he would find out more information about that flyer, the one that spoke of a journey out of addiction. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” the pastor said, quoting a Scripture verse from Matthew 11:28. Jake felt the weight of those words settle on his shoulders.
The pastor continued his sermon about transformation, about being “a new creation” in Christ Jesus. He quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
Each verse the pastor shared seemed to cut through the fog of Jake’s mind. Luke, the youth minister who had welcomed Jake into the service was seated nearby. After the service, he stood quickly to speak to Jake before he left the worship center. Jake was nervous. “Should I ask,” he thought? He decided that he should. If he really wanted out of the pit he was in, this might be his only way out. He pulled the flyer he had taken from the light pole out of his pocket. He asked Luke for more information about the Journey out of addiction.
Luke didn’t flinch or blink. He responded in love. “Ah! Yes, that’s one of our Faith and Freedom classes. That particular one is for people who struggle with addiction. Overcoming addiction is hard, nearly impossible for some, but not impossible with God. The class meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm right over there in that room.” Luke pointed to a classroom across the foyer. It was the first room on the right of the hallway. Luke reached out to shake Jake’s hand. Jake extended his own hand even though it was shaking a bit. “Hey Jake, listen, I attend those meetings sometimes to meet any teens that might attend. I’m planning on going this week. If you’re interested, I can meet you out front. You can sit with me.”
Jake was surprised that a man like Luke would be so kind to a man like himself, broken and addicted, maybe unfixable. “Um, Ok, sure. Yes, I’ll meet you here.” Jake wasn’t sure he would go, but he was sure that he would try.
Two days later, Jake couldn’t stop thinking about Luke and the Journey Out of Addiction meeting. The meeting was only hours away, but Jake wasn’t sure he could stay clean. He knew he could get through the work day. He did that every day. He needed the job so he made sure to keep it. It was the hours between work and bed that were the most terrifying. It was the loneliness, knowing that his life had come to what it was. His low-rent apartment bill was paid. He always had enough food for the day, but that was it. He knew he could do better, but addiction was expensive and too easy to satisfy.
Jake clocked out at 4:00 pm. The walk home would be his first test of fortitude. He knew who had the drug he wanted and he knew where he was. Jake would have to pass the alley without stepping into it. His hand squeezed the roll of cash in his jacket pocket. “Just keep walking, Jake. Just keep walking,” he thought to himself. He repeated the words in his head over and over and over again. The alley was just up ahead. Jake hadn’t prayed since his grandmother died, but he felt compelled to pray in that moment. With his eyes fixed straight ahead, Jake prayed, “Lord, I don’t know if you can hear me right not, but please help me. Please help me.” Jake prayed those words over and over again. That’s all he knew about how to pray, and he wasn’t sure he was doing it right. He realized God must have heard him, because he made it past the alley.
Jake kept walking with his eyes fixed straight ahead. He made his way up the stairs to his apartment. He was trembling so much that he could barely unlock the door. He finally opened the door and ran in, closing the door behind him as quickly as possible. He had made it. Oddly, his trembling eased. He had been afraid he couldn’t walk home without buying, but he had done it. His accomplishment gave him a sense of pride he hadn’t known in a long time. It was 4:45. He had enough time to eat an early dinner. He opened up a can of vegetable soup, poured it into a bowl, and placed it in the microwave. He pulled a slice of loaf bread out of the bag and opened the refrigerator. He reached for a soft drink, smiling at the fact that there was no alcohol in his refrigerator. His grandmother had once made him promise never to touch alcohol. He promised her he would never drink it and he never did. Now he wished he had never taken that first does of meth. He knew she would be disappointed in him now.
Jake finished his dinner and looked at the clock. It was 5:30. He had made it this far. Now it was time to walk to the church. He should make it right on time. He grabbed his jacket and headed out. He walked so fast that he almost jogged the whole way there. When he reached the church, Luke was standing out front.
“Hey Jake! Good to see you! There are refreshments inside. Let’s go have a snack before the meeting starts. What do you say?” Luke hadn’t been sure Jake would come. He was excited to see Jake walk up to the church.
Jake had just eaten, but he could certainly eat again. “Sounds good to me. It’s good to see you, too.” They walked into the room and made their way to the refreshment table. Each grabbed a donut and a bottle of water. Then, they turned to the circle of chairs and chose two seats side by side.
Jake wasn’t sure what he expected, but the meeting was much more relaxed than he thought it would be. Everyone shared stories from their lives. Jake was the only newcomer. All the others had already been meeting for a while. Jake hesitated to share his own, but he wanted to be all in and make this journey out of addiction work, so he took a deep breath and began with his voice trembling. “I’m Jake. I’ve been an addict for most of my life. I’ve tried a few times to get clean, but I guess I’m not strong enough to beat it.” Jake couldn’t hold back the tears, no matter how hard he tried.
Luke put his arm around Jake. “Jake, we would like to pray with you. Is that OK?”
In that moment, Jake felt loved. He hadn’t felt loved by anyone in a long time. These people barely knew him, yet he knew they somehow loved him. The group gathered around Jake, with hands on his shoulders, and they prayed. They prayed for God to give Jake the strength to keep fighting his addiction and for Jake to realize God’s love for him. After the prayer, Jake felt a sense of belonging, as if he were finally home.
Days turned into weeks. Jake attended the church regularly, immersing himself in the community and learning about the love of Jesus. He discovered verses that spoke deeply to his heart, like Psalm 107:13-14, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them from their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke their bands apart.” He found himself reflecting on these words, drawing strength from them each day.
Jake learned more about salvation. Pastor Tom and Luke led Jake through what they called the Roman Road to Salvation. Jake learned what it meant to make Jesus the Lord of his life. Jake prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior one month after meeting Pastor Tom and Pastor Luke. Jake was racing down a path to self destruction, but finding the Faith and Freedom flyer on that lamp post set Jake down a path to wholeness. God delivered Jake from addiction.
Still, the path wasn’t easy; temptation lurked in the shadows. Every morning, he faced the choice between the old life and the new one. On one particular afternoon, feeling particularly vulnerable, he walked past an old friend—the very one who had introduced him to drugs in the first place. The pull was almost magnetic. But as he approached, Jake remembered 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” He took a deep breath, remembered that God is now the source of His strength and he wasn’t facing this temptation alone. Jake breathed a prayer of gratitude to God and turned away, feeling a surge of victory coursing through him.
With the support of his church family, Jake began to rebuild his life. He volunteered at a local shelter, using his past to guide others who were lost in addiction. He shared his story of struggle and redemption, echoing the words from Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” He had learned to see his pain as part of a bigger purpose.
As months passed, the clutter of addiction that had once filled his heart began to fade, replaced by a light that was undeniably brighter. Despite the challenges, he found solace in prayer, creating an intimate connection with God that filled the void he had once tried to fill with drugs.
One evening, as he sat gazing at the stars from his balcony, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. He finally understood the grace that flowed through him. Jake whispered a prayer of thankfulness, echoing the sentiment from Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” He had been given a gift, an opportunity for a second chance at life.
Time passed, and Jake grew stronger in his faith. He celebrated milestones, not with substances but with laughter, love, and the support of his new family in Christ. He relished the moments of joy that came with embracing life’s simple pleasures. The sun on his face, the sound of laughter, the safety of community—these became his new normal.
On the anniversary of his sobriety, Jake stood before his church family, a radiant smile lighting up his face. He shared his journey, reflecting on the trials he had faced and the triumphs he had achieved. “Every day is a gift,” he declared, his voice steady and strong. “If you are struggling, know that there is hope. You are never so far away from God that He can’t reach you.”
As the church erupted in applause, Jake felt a warmth envelop him, not just from the congratulations but from a profound realization—he was alive, truly alive, and he had found freedom through faith. He had taken the road that led to healing, where Jesus walked beside him every step of the way.
In the years that followed, Jake continued to grow in his faith, reaching out to others lost in the shadows of addiction. He recalled Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord anointed me to bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners.” It became his mission to share the freedom he had found, igniting hope in the hearts of others who had once stood where he had.
Through every struggle and triumph, Jake’s heart remained anchored in Christ, reminding himself that he was more than his past. He had been washed clean and filled with purpose. New beginnings were no longer a dream but a reality, all thanks to a faith that transformed his life.
And so, in a city that had once seemed too vast and empty for a man so broken, Jake stood tall, a testament to God’s unending grace.
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