James is from a big, close-knit family. And family was the center of his life. “I was always loved by my family,” he says. “We always got along well.”
It’s not surprising, then, that when his marriage failed, his life came crashing down. He felt like he’d lost everything.
“I didn’t live up to what a husband should live up to.” And that, says James, led to four years of homelessness and drug addiction. His life became a roller coaster.
“I was up and down,” he says. “I lived in my car for four years. I was in denial.”
BITTERNESS AND DEPRESSION
During those bad days, James was still able to work much of the time. He was employed in property management and apartment complex maintenance. This providedhim with a fairly consistent paycheck. But in his bitterness and depression, James would spend it on drugs and gambling. James did his best to tough it out and keep pushing. But, he says, “It’s really hard to trust people. I became a loner.”
James says he figured that if he wasn’t around anybody, he couldn’t hurt anybody. But he now sees how much he affected his family. “I was just too much into my addiction to really do anything about it,” he acknowledges. While he was still in touch with his children, he was deeply ashamed of his situation. He knew his kids were pulling for him, he says. “But I felt so resentful. I was so wrong about all of it.”
AN UNMANAGEABLE LIFE
James comes from a background of faith. He always had his Bible with him. And he knew the Lord was on his side. He just didn’t know how to connect with Him. “I was so caught up in using meth,” he says. His situation finally began to turn around in 2020. James realized his life had become unmanageable. God was working on him. His family was working on him too. His sister invited him to come stay with her.
Through love, understanding, and gentle guidance, she helped him see the truth about his life. A short time later, James was at the Rescue Mission, working on putting his life back on track. “I walked through the front gate — steps of humility — left everything there, and got my life back on track. The Rescue Mission has done everything they promised. God let me know He’s going to take care of me.”
“NEW LIFE, NEW PATH, NEW PEOPLE”
Today, James is working on building his faith, becoming productive, being positive, and rebuilding the relationship with his kids. He’s grateful for the “new life, new path, and new people” he has found. “I know God orchestrated my coming to the Rescue Mission. I was in some very dark places. But the light of God would always shine somehow, some way. I didn’t recognize that until I got here and got sober. I want to keep it that way.”
So many people like James are living transformed, productive lives today. Your generosity makes it possible. Thank you!
