This story was told to me by a dear woman who was brave and sought help for her addiction and freedom from her past. I hope it is encouraging and life changing for you.

My Mom died when she was 47 from cirrhosis of the liver after drinking alcohol for about 15 years.  I was only 9 years old when she died.  I began drinking and drugging at the age of 11.  Dad sold our house, and we lived in an apartment.  I attended Jr. High at a public middle school, where I fell in with the wrong crowd.  My Dad was a functional alcoholic.  I skipped school a lot and Dad would yell at me to go to school.  When I was only 13 years old, I became pregnant, and my older sister took care of arrangements for me to have an abortion at a facility an hour and a half away.  The staff at the clinic knew exactly what to say to make it seem ok.  The woman said the fetus won’t feel a thing.  Dad died of a heart attack when I was 15 and I went to live with my brother and sister-in-law. 

I grew up in the Catholic church and pretended to be a nun as a little girl.  I loved the idea of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  I felt the Lord’s presence as a child and loved everything about the church.  I loved the hymns.  I continued to attend the Catholic church with my brother and sister-in-law after Dad died.  A seed was planted in my heart to accept Jesus later in life.    

When I was about 28, I had a job as a housecleaner.  I cleaned for a good Christian woman once a week and missed one week to go to a tavern.  My alibi was that I had a nervous breakdown.  When I returned with my excuse, she said, “I don’t care what anybody says, you need Jesus.”  We talked about Jesus; she led me to the Lord, and we prayed the prayer of salvation.  She gave me a Bible, which I read off and on. 

I continued drinking and drugging for two years.  I knew I needed God but wasn’t sure about following Him.  When I was 30 years old, I remember thinking “I don’t like living this way.” I was raising my 9-year-old daughter alone and felt convicted that I wasn’t a good mother.  Her turning 9 and my Mom having died when I was 9 may have triggered my need to change, although I didn’t realize the correlation at the time.  I had a vivid dream similar to the passage in Revelation with thunder and lightning, rumbling and shaking.  I felt as if I was there.  I saw Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  An angel said,” This is why Jesus came to Earth.  He came to forgive.  You are forgiven.”  I was crying and shaken and felt cleansed.  I decided to go to an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center and began attending AA meetings. 

When I was 38, I became pregnant again with a man I met in AA.  He was baptized and we married.  He became physically abusive, which lead to our divorce.  Then we reconciled and remarried.   Our son developed a respiratory condition with complications and died of sepsis when he was 2 years old.  We ended up going through another divorce.  The Holy Spirit comforted me.  I repented and became very active in a local church and pro-life efforts.  During this time, I was troubled with the fact I had 3 abortions over the years.  It just hit me.  I was in the kitchen, and I cried out to God, “What do you think about my having abortions?  Am I really forgiven?” My knees buckled in my sorrow and repentance and the next second I felt his love and forgiveness wash over me.  I was truly forgiven by his amazing love.  After that I attended a 6-week post-abortion Bible Study at a women’s crisis pregnancy center, which resulted in my healing.    

While attending AA meetings, a woman said, “Hey, you guys should come to this church I found.”  So, I started attending there.  Later, I realized the church had been praying for people who felt unwelcome elsewhere.  At least a fourth of the congregation is in recovery. 

I have married a wonderful man who treats me right.  I have a steady job cleaning houses with satisfied customers.  I am happy with my life. 

We started attending a 12 step Christian recovery program for people with hurts, habits and hang-ups. We were searching for a Christian based group.  It was very helpful.  Other women in the group are like sisters, sitting around the table, confessing our sins and sharing.  We gain our strength from coming together with our struggles and are encouraged to seek God and work the program.  Going through a step study has resulted in my growth and healing.

My recovery began while housecleaning for a Christian lady who told me about Jesus.  It only goes to show you how important it is to share the Gospel with others in your everyday life.  My customer introduced me to Jesus, who cleansed my soul!   

Published by barbaraziogasgmailcom

My quest is to be a free-lance writer. This has been my dream for many years, and now I believe it is the right time. God’s timing is perfect. I would like to write about social issues pertaining to poverty, domestic violence, the criminal justice system, religious education and other human interest topics. My past work experience included grant writing, writing issue papers, newsletters, creating flyers, brochures, news releases, and public service announcements. My business experience gave me skills in writing business plans, consignment contracts, newspaper articles, content for social media marketing and ads in a weekly paper. My purpose is to serve God and glorify Him through my work. View all posts by barbaraziogasgmailcom