Meet Kristin
“Imagine living in a body that fights so hard to survive but a mind that doesn’t want to… That’s the best way I can explain addiction.
If you met the me today, you’d probably never guess who I used to be. There was a time in my life I was drowning in sin & addiction & I spent a lot of my life away in prison. I wasn’t just bound up in chains of addiction. The devil physically got a hold of me. There was times my own family would be scared to come looking for me, cause they never knew if I’d be dead or alive. Imagine waking everyday with the heavy heart of wondering if you were gonna get the call about your child that no parent ever wants to receive. I’ll never forget I attended church with my oldest daughter about a week before I was sentenced to my time in prison. The preacher asked if anyone needed prayer over them & zoe said mom go. My then 3 year old! There’s nothing like the faith of a child. She placed her hand on my back while the preacher prayed over me. A week later I was sentenced to 6 years in prison. I always say my daughter prayed for me to be broken from my chains & God answered her prayers by sending me away to find Him . My first night in the prison I was placed in a room alone I cried & I prayed for hours, until I finally felt a wave of peace wash over me, it was like a tornado came ripping through that room & was taking every piece of emptiness, sin, brokenness, shame, guilt, & fear from me. For me to be in a prison, it was the freest I felt in years.. I feel like I’ll never be able to express what God did for me in my place of forced stillness. I had made a complete mess of my life. But God still loved me just like I was & it was in my brokenness, at my rock bottom that he entered into my life like a flood of grace & mercy to reveal His love for me. The time was hard being away from home, my family. But it was the only way I could sit down & be alone with God & let go of all the chains that were binding me. I knew I never wanted to be that person again. When I came home, it was the scariest moment of my life. I was walking out the doors into a big world I knew nothing about anymore But I knew as long as I kept praying & keeping God front & center I would make it. I had no clothes no plans no idea what was going to happen. But I walked out with faith. So many days I wanted to give up but God picked me up & told me keep going, I’ve still got so far to go & ALOT more learning to do. But I know that my God is not done with me yet. Even though I was lost in my sin & addiction I learned you’re never too lost for God to find. Even though I felt dirty from shame & guilt. I learned you’re never too dirty for God to cleanse. While I was trying to find my walk with Him, I thought I was already too far gone, too much had done happened in my life but God showed me you’re never too far for God to reach & after all my convictions I was never too guilty for God to forgive. There used to be so much shame in my past for what I done & all that’s happened to me. But now I thank God for it cause I was able to find Him & now I can speak out & help those still suffering. God had a bigger plan for me & I had to go through the things I did to get to & fulfill His plan.. I had to learn not to let my worry, my shame, or my guilt be louder than my worship. He walked out of the grave, so I could too. The empty tomb means you don’t have to live in shame, addiction & un-forgiveness.
1 John 1:9; if we confess our sins, he is faithful & just & will forgive us our sins & purify us from all unrighteousness.”
