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Share your story of how you've overcome the challenges you've faced and how God transformed your life.
Alan's story ("Taking Life One Day at a Time")
As a young teenager, I accepted Christ into my heart and became part of God's family. But as I grew older, I drifted away from Christ. I allowed small thoughts and desires to grow in my heart and in my mind. Then one day in bitterness and resentment, I used the actions of others as an excuse to walk completely away from God. Over the next 15 years, I squandered everything God had given me - my time, energy, thoughts, relationships and even my physical body. My life was a disaster. I was overindulging in everything and living life on the edge.
Only after an absolute crash did I get into counseling and then started going to STEP. I began realizing I couldn't survive on my own, but that I have to rely on God's power and truth. I can see now where God never gave up on me. I see where he protected me, even from myself. I now have hope in God and I'm learning to be strong in His power, not my own. My thinking has been transformed and now when I fall, I rely on God to heal me.
Kathy's story ("Transforming Relationships")
The saying "hurt people hurt people" is so true. I've struggled most of my life with trust issues due to sexual abuse at an early age. Although I grew up in a Christian home, my mother was a control freak and a rage-aholic, so there was a lot my mother did for me that I could/should have done for myself. I was married at 18 and had 3 children by the time I was 22. I tried coping by controlling everyone and everything around me - after all, that's what a loving wife and mother does, right?
Through the STEP program, God showed me the true picture of my heart and my character and it wasn't pretty. Through His endless love and mercy, God has transformed my marriage and my life. Is my life all "peaches and cream" now - no! One of my ongoing struggles is the whole "do you want to be right or do you want to be well?" I want BOTH. I'm learning daily to surrender, because I don't ever want to stop looking for Jesus.
Larry's story "One Day At a Time"
At about age 13 I started smoking cigarettes. Later, when I married, I was stoned and drunk at the wedding. The best and worst days of my life were just reasons to hide in the bottle. I cheated on my wife and I was always high or drunk. Eventually, I lost everything - my wife and kids, my job, my car and my home. Then at the lowest point, God reached out to me and guided me back to Him. My therapist introduced me to someone God placed in my life for a great reason. This man introduced me to the STEP program, where I am learning to trust, love, care and hope. I am not perfect, but by working the steps, I grow closer to God and His love. Without God's guidance, I would not be here right now.
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