Brian D.
I’m writing this today to convey how much Step Seven means to me, and quite frankly, how it has transformed my life. You see, over the course of several years my life had become a combination of hospital stays, time in detox centers, and numerous rehabs. It was filled with constant fear, anxiety, lies, depression, manipulation, and utter chaos. I was unemployed more than employed, isolated more than part of a community, self-centered more than other-centered, and at a point of feeling like my life just didn’t matter.
My struggle with addiction caused my family to live in constant fear and depression… wondering if the next call they would get would be the last. My behaviors robbed my children of a dad they so deserve. Addiction destroyed who I was and more importantly, who God created me to be.
Everything changed the moment I entered the Step Seven Ethos house and began my walk with Christ. I started to attend the Discipleship Course and began to realize how powerful God’s words are. One verse in particular that opened my heart, maybe for the first time, is Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. For most of my life, I was trying to figure things out by my own understanding. Constantly trying to answer the unanswerable question… why? Why do I do these things, why do I cause so much pain for my family and myself, why am I a failure… why, why, why. I was the hamster in the wheel, never able to come to a conclusion. Brian Laney quickly helped me to stop asking why, and instead, ask how. How did I get here? How can I change it? How do I move forward? Those questions can be answered. For me, it is found simply through Proverbs 3:6 “in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”.
Along with the Discipleship Course, the Step Seven Ministries recovery community has been extremely vital in so many ways. Brian Laney, Pastor Tom, and the entire community have shown me how to live. They have shown me how to follow simple instructions, become other-centered, and surrender on a daily basis. While I may not succeed every day, I know deep down that it does not mean failure. I am learning to pick myself up, try again, persevere, and as Pastor Tom always says, finish well.
While my journey is far from over, and in many respects is just beginning, I am so thankful to be where I am. The relationship with my family grows stronger each and every day. My kids have a caring and loving dad back in their lives. I am regaining trust. I work. I serve. I study Scripture. I am available. Available for the next guy that God places in my path… to support their journey and be of service however I can.
That is what Step Seven is about.