When God Doesn't Fix It: Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Can't Live Without

by Laura Story

A good friend who is a pastor has a child who is a heroin addict. I’m sure he was tempted to hide his family problems from the church where he worked. He could have withdrawn socially and spiritually from the church and maybe someone would have asked about him, or maybe no one would have noticed as he and his wife drifted into isolation with their secret. But isolation rarely leads to anything good. He knew that to get the support and encouragement he and his wife needed during this difficult time, he’d have to be vulnerable and let people in. But what was the best way to do it? As we all know, telling our personal stories can be dangerous. If he were to tell his story to people who didn’t understand or weren’t compassionate, they could blame him for their own child’s addiction. They could criticize his parenting or his spiritual life, causing more heartache at a time when he needs support the most. Fortunately, this minister realized he wasn’t the only one going through a trial; parents in his church and community were facing the same issues and needed the same kind of support he did. God used him and his willingness to share his story to form a confidential support group for parents whose children were involved in destructive lifestyles. He wasn’t shouting his story from a megaphone on a Sunday morning, and he wasn’t doing it in a way that would shame his child. He was privately sharing his story with those who needed to hear it most. In the group, parents of alcoholics ...