We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Addiction leads people to do things they never imagined they were capable of. I never thought I would rob my own mother just to get my next fix, but there I was in jail for doing the very thing I said I wouldn’t.
The men in our Residence have allowed their addiction to bring them places they never thought they would go. We have lied, stolen and cheated just about everyone who was in our path just to get our drugs. But thanks be to God and the work completed on the cross that, in Jesus, we are not the same men we were. Where we once only desired to get high to numb our emotional pain, we now desire this abundant life Jesus died to give us. Where all our time was once spent deceiving and stealing, it is now spent on devoting and serving.
There was a total of 32 men fellowshipping about their new life in Christ. The boat was full of ex-convicts and ex-thieves, yet the only hollering were praises. “Fish on”, “Shark”, and “Whoa, look at the size of that fish” were exclaimed by these men who finally found enjoyment outside of their addictions. This was the first time many of them had ever seen the ocean, caught a fish or even felt alive!
Living a life of addiction leads one to wonder if he could ever really enjoy doing things sober. This trip is proof they could. It is so important that our men learn from others that in Christ we are all new creations; that Jesus sacrificed Himself not just for the junkie but for the doctor, the pastor and everyone in between; and that thanks to Jesus we don’t have to live life in fear, anxiety or depression anymore. And while the fishing trip was creating fishermen, Jesus was creating Fishers of Men! The testimonies that filled this both spoke of God’s resurrection power in each of us.
As we were picking up our fish from our deck hand, he opened to us and admitted he too was in recovery and God spoke to him through all of us. He reminded us that days can get tough in recovery and to always remember days like this. This is what life is meant to be! Thank you to all who prayed for us or sponsored us! If you would like to find a way you could help create a new life in Christ for these men, please email me at Jamie@Christiancarecenter.org