“Lean on Me” — Jesus Christ
How God’s grace — and your compassion — brought Jerry back to life.
For years, whenever tragedy struck, Jerry turned to the same destructive patterns.
When his mom died, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol. When the relationship with his significant other was over, alcohol no longer numbed the pain. So he turned to drugs.
Years later, Jerry lost both his dad and his sister within a three-month period. Though he had been sober for periods of time — as long as eight years, he recalls — the double loss proved to be too much. Once again, he allowed alcohol and drugs to take over his life.
He lost his job, the respect of his kids, and his place to live. Not even being homeless snapped Jerry out of the deep funk that hurled him deeper and deeper into despair.
Only after he went to jail on some trumped-up charges, got out, and went on one last bender did Jerry decide, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” It was a visit from our neighborhood Chili Van that introduced him to Orange County Rescue Mission’s Tustin Veterans Outpost.
Thanks to you, he has now learned to lean on Jesus Christ instead of the drugs that once held him in bondage.
“I’ve done a 180-degree turnaround since I came to the Mission,” he says. “I’ve been sober for a year, and I went back to school to get my Class A driver’s license and am enrolled in classes for training in IT and cybersecurity.”
But more important than the progress he’s made in his vocational life is the growth in his spiritual life.
“Since God helped me overcome my need for drugs and alcohol, I have devoted my life to Him, I read the Bible every day, and I have connected with a local church.”
He’s also learned a new way to handle tragedy. Six months ago, Jerry was devastated by loss again when his son was killed in a terrible auto accident by a drunk driver. “I had to ask myself, ‘Was I going to go back to the things I used to do?’” As the temptation grew stronger, he felt God telling him, “Jerry, stay still. This time, we’re going to do something different.”
Sure enough, Jerry was able to remain strong, and the cravings eventually went away. And he forgives the person who took his son’s life. Jerry realizes that he would be hypocritical to judge someone else for their wrongdoing.
“Now that I know I can lean on God, I can get through anything,” he says. “I’ve learned that when things go bad, you don’t have to run back to your old vices, as long as you know Christ.”
Jerry found the strength to face life’s most difficult challenges only after you made it possible for him to come to the Rescue Mission. He discovered that God will always be with him.
