Life happens. Relationships splinter, finances are squeezed, and pressures mount. For me, this meant consuming large amounts of alcohol. It was my valve for releasing pressure and granting momentary relief. Yet, as any addict will confess, there was never enough to fill the void.
I realized I was not being true to myself, so I stumbled into AA and dedicated four years to going nearly every day. The meetings often discussed the “big book,” which outlined principles for defeating addiction. While it helped me stay sober, the emptiness remained. The “big book” reminded me of another book I’d read as a child—a book that reveals the “way, the truth, and the life.”
Finding Christ again through the Bible, the “bigger book” as I now call it, has filled my heart with contentment like never before.
God comes first in my life. I don’t hide my faith from employees, nor am I shy to discuss it with strangers. I participate in a men’s Bible study and close my emails with “God bless.” Since my sobriety, God has blessed me with a wife and two kids, relationships that I cannot imagine flourishing without Christ at the center.
Life still happens. Relationships need care, finances require attention, and pressures still arise. But the difference now is what or who I turn to. Today, I know the Lord does wonders for the faithful. Today, I believe that when I call upon Him, He hears me.
Life will happen to you, too. When it does, I pray my simple story leads you away from the bottle or other temporary fixes to the “bigger book,” which holds all we need for fulfillment, purpose, and meaning. Call upon the Lord—He will hear you, just as He heard me.
Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful; when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me. Psalm 4:3
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