Learning to Let Go and Trust God

I've spent most of my life taking care of myself.

I grew up in a strict military-style home. My stepfather was a Korean War veteran who did the best he could, but life was hard. I left home right after high school, joined the Navy, and spent years living the party lifestyle. Drinking became normal. Drugs became normal. For decades I worked hard, built a successful career in construction, and earned a reputation for integrity and hard work.

On the outside, I looked fine. On the inside, I was carrying a lot of pain.

Over the years, God began drawing me to Himself. In my fifties, I gave my life to Christ after seeing the radical transformation God had done in my cousin's life. From that point on, my faith grew, and I became heavily involved in church ministry. I served as an usher, helped build out a church facility, mentored people, and learned what it meant to stand on God's Word.

But there was one area I never fully surrendered. Alcohol.

For years I was what people call a "functional alcoholic." I worked. I paid my bills. I showed up. But drinking remained a part of my life.

Then life got harder.

After twenty-six years of battling infections and complications from an old injury, I lost my leg. The pain was constant. The phantom pain was overwhelming. Then I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left me with even more injuries.

I started drinking again to deal with the pain and to help me sleep. What began as coping became another trap.

Eventually, God brought me to House of Refuge Sunnyslope.

At the time, I thought I was coming because of alcohol. Now I know God had a much bigger plan. The hardest thing for me wasn't giving up drinking. The hardest thing for me was giving up control.

I had worked since I was ten years old. I've always been the kind of man who solved his own problems. If something needed done, I did it. If a challenge came, I figured it out.

Then I came to House of Refuge Sunnyslope and couldn't do things the way I always had.

For the first time in my life, I couldn't just work my way through a situation. I couldn't fix everything. I couldn't force doors open.

I remember becoming frustrated because I couldn't find a job. I had never been without work. Not since childhood. I knew how to build houses, remodel buildings, and manage projects, but God wouldn't let me move forward the way I wanted.

Looking back, I realize He was teaching me something I had never truly learned: Trust.

There were moments when I thought I might not make it through the program. There were moments when I didn't understand what God was doing. There were moments when I had to stop fighting and simply say: "Okay, God. You brought me here. I'm yours."

I remember finally reaching a place where I surrendered everything. I told God, "If You want this, take it." That changed everything.

For years I'd heard Christians talk about peace and joy. I honestly didn't understand what they meant. I thought they were just church words.

But during my time at House of Refuge Sunnyslope, God showed me what real peace looks like.Peace isn't the absence of problems. Peace is trusting God in the middle of them.Instead of carrying every burden myself, I learned to place them in His hands.

Instead of asking, "Why is this happening?" I started asking, "Lord, what are You teaching me?" Instead of worrying about tomorrow, I began thanking Him for today.

That's one of the biggest lessons I learned here: gratitude.

Today I thank God for everything.

I thank Him for my truck.

I thank Him for my job.

I thank Him for my home.

I thank Him for getting me safely through another day.

My obedience may not be perfect, but my gratitude is overflowing.

House of Refuge Sunnyslope didn't just help me overcome alcohol. It taught me what it means to depend on God. It taught me accountability, patience, humility, and surrender. Through every step of the journey, I learned that true freedom isn't found in my own strength, but in trusting the Lord day by day.

Most importantly, it helped me develop a deeper relationship with Christ and a stronger trust in Him than I have ever known before.

When asked what he will miss most about House of Refuge Sunnyslope, his answer wasn't a program or a place. It was a simple daily routine that has become sacred to him. Every morning, he wakes up early, pours a cup of coffee, and sits outside in the quiet with his Bible. Those peaceful moments spent with the Lord have become the foundation of his day.

He shared that he is going to miss watching the sun rise over the three crosses at the church each morning, a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness, grace, and the new life He has given him.

I believe God brought me through addiction, physical pain, amputation, divorce, loss, and recovery for a purpose.

Today, his focus is no longer on what he has overcome, but on how God can use his story to encourage others.

"My desire now is to pour back into other men the way others poured into me. I want to encourage the discouraged. I want to help those who are struggling. I want to remind people that no one is beyond God's reach."