Made for More

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7.

Consider this proverb as you read the following statements from individuals featured in this newsletter:

“I was an angry drunk. I always felt ‘less than’” – Cliff.

“I thought I was the scum of the earth.” – Emily.

One of the pivotal books in the UGM Recovery program, Genesis Process, states: “To change what you do, you must change who you are.” And, according to the proverb above, to change who you are, you must change how you think. To change how you think, you must be exposed to the Truth: You were created in the image of God with immeasurable beauty and worth. You are not defined by your present condition or past mistakes.

Forgiveness is real and has the power to transform us all.

One of the ways I know there is a God is that I have seen people change before my eyes. I have seen Jesus take hold of their hearts – even people in the blackest of darkness – and give them the desire to change. Then, step by step, I have seen them come out of the darkness and into the light.

Emily was sleeping in drug houses and on the streets. She had burned her thumb while smoking meth, and the subsequent infection caused her to lose her arm. One of her so-called boyfriends set her on fire. She took handfuls of pills because she did not want to live any more. Now, here she is, three years later, the Director of Volunteers for Life Services, going to church, giving back, running half-marathons, standing strong with Jesus. It’s a miracle.

I have seen hundreds of such miracles. Cliff has been sober for 14.5 years, at the same job for 12, married for 8. Amber went from accepting violent relationships to realizing her value: “I don’t have to settle for less. I can go for so much more.”

UGM is here for people ready to leave their old lives behind and find their purpose. We do that by communicating the truth of Christ’s love. We do that by maintaining clean-and-sober shelters because a person cannot simultaneously engage in self-destructive behavior and find healing. We do that by offering a broad spectrum of resources – addiction recovery, vocational education, medical clinics, job training, Bible study, counseling – everything required to heal and become a God-dependent, contributing member of society. Over and over, in countless ways, we are seeking to communicate: You are meant for more than mere survival on the streets or an existence blurred by mind-numbing substances. You were created for a purpose.

Your partnership is helping men and women be all God created them to be.