Saturday, July 24, 2010

Arrows

I was clipped by an arrow yesterday.


"In addition to all this take up your shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one"

Evidently I had set my shield aside while I caught up on some blogs I like to visit.

 No worries, just a flesh wound. 

The blog I visited is that of an up and coming writer. He is truly talented. He has a book coming out some time this year. I plan to purchase it straight away.
Yesterday he posted a poignant story about an old friend named Joey, a friend who happened to be a drug addict. The story was about starting over.
I was enjoying the story until the end.
In the end the addiction wins ....
I'm left wondering... is this a true story? did the writer really have a friend from childhood turned drug addict?

Its hard to tell with good story tellers.
I think that some of them are masters at taking their day to day lives and spinning them into wonderful tales.

or perhaps

they are good at taking the truth and embellishing it just a tad sometimes ... or maybe a lot like James Frey did with A Million Little Pieces

Either way for this particular story I'm left wondering ....
and hurting

Wondering why we like to hear sad stories like this. There was a time when a story like this would have moved ... but not wounded me.

But today these words .... "they found him in his apartment" "The needle was still in his arm" pierced me like an arrow.

As the arrow struck I heard a whisper ..... ' the drugs will win, they always do"   


I reached for my shield of faith. So strong, so sure.

Alas the damage has been done. I am hurting.


Hurting for all the Joey's who believed the lie.
For their mothers, mothers who suffer along side watching helplessly as the lie becomes truth.

No, our story will not end this way. For every Joey out there I believe there is someone who fought the battle and won.

Those stories just don't have the same effect in the end ... hardly ever a gasp, a skipped breath.

But for me, those are the stories I long to hear today, I need to hear.

Someday ... I will tell my story.

3 comments:

Laura said...

Oh, Tina. I read that post too. It was a tough one. But all the stories don't end the same. Your Brett has the one thing that Joey must not have had. He knows where his hope is. There is a happy, ending, Tina. I'm trusting in Him for your son. Love you, friend.

Heather said...

Tina, this post brought me to tears. Laura is so right. Brett knows where true hope is. He has a relationship with a HUGE God who has an amazing plan for his life. Love to you and to our boy Brett.

sherry riedl said...

My sweetest friend, The mother of beautiful gift's from god....Believe and follow your faith, your heart, and your loving soul....Your path hasn't been the easiest, but it has been a great example of the test of faith! If you stay your coarse of love and god, you are sure to have the fruit's of your labor and love, and soon, you will have your son back ;) God is Great Tina. never give up faith. I love you, and may a circle of strength peace, and love surround you and your family today and alway's. XOXO Say hi to Brett for us ;)