It hadn’t been long since she arrived at the shelter, this young mother of four whose face showed years of experience beyond her age. With her eyes down, we worked on a felt scarf and ate cookies. Sorting colored beads, we picked through the bowl together. She began to share pieces of her story with every bead she chose. Spousal abuse led to despondence, to single substance abuse, to more substances, to corrupt companions, to more violence, to total loss in the pit of addiction. As she whispered the names of separated children through quivering lips she said, “I’ve done a lot of things wrong, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.”
Photo credit: Flickr - www.taylortexasmedicine
My friend isn’t alone. The 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that over 23 million Americans aged 12 and older needed treatment for drug and alcohol abuse; only 10% received help. No economic group or age group is excluded. Life sends many women searching for ways to dull pain or deal with stresses such as sleeplessness or anxiety. Prescription pain medications are often the gateway to dependence on stimulants, painkillers, tranquilizers, sedatives, or stronger drugs.
Mothers are among the users. It often begins in private until mothers find themselves parenting out of a pit of addiction. Children bear emotional and sometimes physical scars of their mother’s choices. The added guilt and sense of powerlessness add to a woman’s hopeless outlook. Is there escape from the pit?
There is hope. There is escape from slavery to substances that destroy and captivate us, robbing our children from the mom God wants for them. There can be restoration. God’s word is full of promise. Romans 8:1 assures us that, “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT).
No condemnation, though we’re declared guilty. Jesus makes it possible for mothers to be rescued from the pit, along with their children. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17 – ESV). God can take a mom in the grip of destruction and free her, making her new.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Rom. 6:6-7). There IS a way for addicted mothers to be freed from the hold of substances that enslaves. Do you have a friend whose eyes are empty and cast down, whose body shows signs of toxins within, whose children bear marks of a mom in the pit? Are you in the pit?
They are not without hope. Maybe you’ve done a lot wrong, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore.
Let a hand lift you up (Eccl. 4:9,10) and show you the God who offers forgiveness, newness, and freedom. Do you need to reach out to a friend? She will thank you, and so will her children.
If you or someone you know is dealing with an addiction, this is a good place to start in finding professional help from a Biblical perspective. If the moms of The Mom Initiative can be of help to you, we would be glad for you to contact us and let us walk with you out of the pit and into newness of life.
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