A few Fridays ago, I sat among 100 people to honor and celebrate Jeremiah. Jeremiah once sacrificed his family, his children and his well-being for drugs. His home was raided three times. During one of the raids, his son was taken away from him. The cry Jeremiah heard from his son that night is a cry that he would never forget.
His addiction cost him everything.
He tried to fight for his son, but the courts said Jeremiah was an unfit father and that he’d never see his son again.
A few years and other treatments later, Jeremiah found himself at Harvest Farm looking not only to find sobriety, but to change his heart. He sat there in Chaplain Jason’s office staring at a poster that highlighted all the people in the Bible that screwed up badly, yet God redeemed them. Jeremiah found hope in that poster.
A poster. A poster gave hope.
Don’t underestimate the power you hold to help change the course of someone’s life just like the poster Jason had in his office. That poster changed Jeremiah’s journey and restored relationships.
His father and sister drove 600 miles to celebrate Jeremiah and all that he has done. They got their son and brother back. And when Jeremiah rectifies a few more things from his past, he will be able to see his son – a son he was told he will never see again.
Encourage someone on their journey. Give them hope. Love them well.
