There was a time in my life where I lived bound, desperately hoping to be freed. I didn’t know how amazing life could be in freedom. I kept stumbling over the daily choice of allowing alcohol to have a presence in my life. From a young age, it was there. I remember my very first alcoholic drink as a young teenager. From the very first sip, it had me. Looking back now, I can see that I sought it in times of celebration, at parties, and social gatherings. Early on, it brought what I thought was comfort and peace. Alcohol affected my young adulthood, as the relationships that I valued and held dear were greatly affected by it. I experienced a myriad of loss and an incredible amount of trials that led to me repeating a vicious cycle of addiction, swearing off alcohol and returning to it only for its grip to get stronger. In 2013, my wife Kelly had finally had her fill and told me that night that if I did not find a way to find peace in life, free from alcohol, she was leaving.
I saw in her eyes and heard in her voice that she meant every word. God showed me that night what that future looked like if I kept allowing alcohol to have a presence in my life. Thankfully I found my way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and began a journey of recovery. That night, I met the man who would become my sponsor and begin a journey through the 12 steps. The very next day, I faced an immediate challenge and temptation. I got a flat tire on the I-10 East feeder road and was able to navigate into the parking lot of a convenience store. With neon beer signs shining brightly in the window and the sun beating down on a humid Saturday morning, I changed the tire & resisted the temptation to give in to what my flesh wanted so badly. Recovery has been a painstaking and arduous task but so very worth every moment invested in my family and my future.
Even today, I am able to withstand the temptation at restaurants, family gatherings, and sporting events through His grace and strength alone. I gave God control of my drinking on April 26th, 2013, and He has carried me through each day victoriously triumphant in sobriety. The fact that I serve every Sunday at our North Katy Location, in the very same building at Avenue D and 10th Street, where God started my recovery, shows that He has His Hands in all of this.
