Today I want to talk about the massively huge drug problem we have on the Plateau.
In particular I want to bring attention to the meth and heroin epidemic that is killing our sons and daughters and tearing apart families as they suffer in silent shame. As a pastor I don’t claim to be an expert on addiction but I know quite a bit about God’s love, truth and power.
I hate heroin. I was a firefighter in Seattle for more than 10 years and performed CPR in vain on a couple dozen young men and women who overdosed on this destructive, lying, killer. I lost my cousin to it. He died when he relapsed after nearly nine months of sobriety. I have friends here in Enumclaw who’s sons and daughters have recently overdosed on heroin and died. And recently I have been introduced to family after family who are struggling to deal with the chaos, shame, confusion, fear and anger of having one of their family members addicted to either heroin or meth.
Today I want to tell you that you are not alone and that there is hope.
I see drug and alcohol addiction as a vice of the devil he uses to rob, kill and destroy. They are subtle in their deception masquerading as fun, excitement or YOLO (You Only Live Once), while all the while stealing hours, days and years of your life. These addictions thieve away your joy, peace, beauty, confidence, innocence, moral judgment and integrity without much of a fight. While you waste time defending them, insisting there is no problem, they mercilessly destroy your relationships, bank accounts, careers and future. Typically you end up estranged from the people who love you, in and out of jail and eventually dead because the intent of the devil was never anything less.
Then, after all of that the enemy, works on your mind. He heaps upon you guilt, shame and condemnation; too much for any person to carry. He tells you that you have no hope, that no one loves you and that God is not real.
The devil is a liar.
Not only is God real but he loves and cares for you! Our God is a restorer. He makes beauty from ashes and can take the rubble of our lives and rebuild it. He will restore to you the years the devil has stolen and the dreams he destroyed. God brings life to dry bones makes the crooked way straight again.
Without God we are powerless. We are powerless to change, powerless to fix our lives and powerless to fix our kids.
It’s OK to realize you are powerless. That is often the very thing that prompts us to cry out for help from the one who holds all power in his hand. We need God and he will never turn his back on you.
When we turn to God we find that he never left us and that he loves us. Simply by believing on him we receive forgiveness for all of our sins and failures. Further than forgiveness the word of God says that we are literally separated from our sin. That means that never again will our failures and sins be counted against us. In this God defeats every accusation and lie the devil can ever have against us. When lies are defeated, guilt and shame are also defeated. This grace that God gives us empowers us to overcome our battles and live abundant, joyful lives! God will walk with you every day of your life.
Our community is uniting to fight against this enemy, who up until now seemed to have the upper hand. A new Facebook group has been formed called The Family’s Battle. This group is bringing hope to families of addiction and uniting our community against the addiction problem we face. If you’ve been looking for help, hope and support I strongly encourage you to join this group on Facebook. Also you are invited to come to their first meeting in Enumclaw at 7 p.m., Sept. 9, at Enumclaw Golf Course.
In loving memory of Wes Rainwater, Trevor Gamblin and Ben Stewart.
