Wednesday, June 11, 2014

TWO YEARS OF FREEDOM.06.10.14.


The lies that the enemy built up in my life have been many. They’ve been paralyzing and so deafening at times that I’ve believed the lies as truth. I then walked out those lies in my life and allowed them to define and change me from the person God designed me to be.

Dirty. Unworthly. Unloveable. Worthless. Ugly. Fat. Not good enough. Hopeless. Good for nothing. Ruined. Unattractive. Less than perfect. Dumb. Out of place. Different. Deserving of pain. God’s mad at you. Disappointment. Poor Role Model.

In my own strength, I believed drinking was the only answer to overcome those lies the enemy so perfectly planted within my mind. So, for years that’s what I did. But, drinking only gave me a temporary solution. In the morning, all the lies and problems I was facing were intensified. My life became unmanageable. I sought relationships that were less than positive for my life. I lost control of my finances and put myself in a great deal of debt. I was struggling to perform at work and I could only hide the problem for so long, until my boss and co-workers could guess when I would call off from work or just not show up. I hibernated and ignored my loved ones and closest friends. I fell into a deep depression and a fear that manifested itself into the most server anxiety. I hated myself for how I was acting, portraying myself, and for the reputation I had so haphazardly created. So, I moved forward in my strategic effort to numb the lies, hurt, pain and shame through one-night stands, friends with benefits, and other company that only encouraged my dangerous and insane lifestyle. I walked through health, legal, and emotional traumas as consequences to my ever increasing alcohol induced foggy life.

Then, God uncovered my eyes, opened my heart, and revealed his love despite my every effort to block him out. In a matter of 6 months, my boyfriend died, I got a DUI, and I just barely escaped a public drunkenness charge. After my last run in with the Harrisburg Police Department, I woke up and decided, enough was enough. I didn’t care what I had to do but I couldn’t go on living in the insanity and chaos that became my normal. Through the gift of strength that God has blessed me with, I finally used it to glorify his name and in the way he had intended my gift to be used. I made a call to Mazzetti & Sullivan, drug and alcohol counselors in Harrisburg. It was within 2 days’ time that I was admitted into their Intensive Outpatient Program. The work was hard, it took a lot of time, but I can celebrate two years sober today because I chose to stop believing the enemy’s lies and turn my life to face God’s love.

Today, the enemy still continues to attack what I know to be God’s truths. There are still times that I crave a drink to just numb the pain, to hide my emotions, or escape from what I believe to be reality. But I don’t. Because I owe God all the glory for sparing my life two years ago. Also, the desire to drink and revert back to an unmanageable life will never out way the love God pours over me daily and that he sent his only son to die in order to spare my life. Life is still full of hurt and pain. For example, yesterday I surrendered all hope for a restored relationship with my fiancé. I have allowed my heavenly father to take what I so desperately desire because that is what he has asked me to do. It’s hard not to question and even harder to reconcile the thoughts that his plan is beyond my understanding. But, as I laid in bed Sunday night, he so clearly whispered to me that it was time to let go, and I had been released from that relationship. I don’t know where Tyler is. I don’t even know if he’s ok. But all I need to know is that God is in control and he is the only one that I can trust with my whole heart. So even though today is a celebration of how far I have come, it doesn’t mean my life has become pain free or even void of difficult life situations but I can take each circumstance with a clear mind, level headed attitude, and with all the hope God has for me.

 

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