MNTC

Today at church I was immensely moved.  The Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Choir was there to give their testimonies, to sing and to worship with us.  It was beautiful.  I cannot express the deep recognition of redemption there was in the morning.  The word "beauty" doesn't even come close to describing the time.

As they recounted lives that started both as wonderful and horrible, but either turned horrible or continued on the path of destruction.  They talked of addiction and dependence on drugs and alcohol and my brain and heart couldn't help but to connect with them.  I'm only one generation away from  some of the same destruction.  Both of my grandfathers left a deep legacy and imprint of alcoholism.  Neither of them are talked of in high regards and I understand why.  The destruction that drugs and alcohol cause and the stronghold they have on families for generations is a weight that is oppressive.

My parents were pattern-breakers and new-path makers.  They were bold and real about the alcoholism that runs in our family.  They were insistent that I know that it is something that I could have a strong tendency for.  They were smart in how they approached the issue with me.  I was knowledgable about what drugs and alcohol could do to my life.  I was aware of how the pattern was not very far away from me in history.  I am reminded of desperation when I see other relatives struggle with addictions, depression, mental illness, and drug & alcohol destruction in their lives.

But I'm reminded so heavily of God's GREAT story of redemption and deliverance. We all struggle with our own "demons."  Sin is something that grips each and every one of us.  It was SO comforting to be reminded, today, that all of us need to daily lay down ourselves and let the Lord fill the hole in our hearts that only He can.  To be reminded that we have a God who loves us and wants to see restoration in Him.  To bring families back to Him and bind them with His cords that cannot be broken.

The enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy.  I am eternally grateful that I have parents who were determined that the enemy would have NO stronghold over me, like he had over my grandfathers.  But I am even more grateful that I have a Lord and a Savior who from the time I was born, called and whispered my name, to come to Him and rest in the knowledge of His saving love.  I'm grateful that my own testimony does not include a stronghold of drugs and alcohol, because I'm human and could have just as easily been pulled into that world of hurt.  I'm grateful that my testimony might seem boring to others.  I'm grateful that my testimony does not hold depths that are at the bottom.  I'm grateful for those who have hit the bottom and turned to the Lord, seeking deliverance from the pits.  I'm grateful that they can share their stories with others and help those who are at bottom.  I'm grateful that Jesus Christ came to this earth to seek and save the lost.  Because at one point or another we were or are all lost and need to be found and saved.