abounding reflection of love in our words and actions. It’s likely that our children shared with you, “Dad quit drinking!” Turning away from alcoholism and to God brought renewal in our marriage, in our parenting, in our walk with God, in our friendships, in our children, and in our own individual character. Not only did God bring renewal to Chance as he walked away from alcoholism, He brought renewal to me as well. I got to walk away from stress, anger, depression, hurt, fear, and frustration. My desires of having a husband that led the way the Bible instructs were finally fulfilled. We started praying together even multiple times a day, and Chance started washing me in the Word through nightly scripture reading, no matter our level of exhaustion from our day. Our marriage finally became a tightly braided strand of three cords, and God rewarded us with a deeper love for Him and for one another than what we knew we were capable of bearing. I’ve had the privilege of standing by Chance’s side throughout our 15 years of marriage. This year it’s been the greatest honor to be his wife. I watched his character and appearance instantly change that day last December. I’ve smiled with tears in my eyes as I’ve listened to him share his testimony countless times in unusual places to unlikely people, specifically at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas this past January. Sobriety because of Jesus was the theme of Chance’s trip to the industry show this past year and he was more excited to share with every opportunity. I can’t speak for alcoholics, but I can speak for the alcoholic’s wife. I know we aren’t the only ones that have experienced alcoholism. This may be your story too. I feel as if it’s not spoken of as often as it should be in the church. No one is fond of sharing about our struggles with our demons, but I hope we will be in the future. No one would ask for this to be their story... their cup. No alcoholic or alcoholic’s wife wants to admit the effects of what the dependency of just one nightly drink does to our character, the posture of our hearts, our parenting, our marriages, our homes. Though we may not have asked for this to be our story, we wouldn’t trade our testimony for any other. It’s ours to have walked through as the Lord stood by our side and led us through. It’s His work to share, and we will be obedient in sharing. If your story sounds too familiar to ours, don’t give up. Find someone that has experienced your struggle as we did. If you see me in the grocery store, stop me and tell me your story. If you need a listening ear, I’ll stop, I’ll listen, and I’ll encourage you to never stop praying and seeking healing. Lord met me while my eyes were dripping with tears. Sometimes I was even full of rage, but every morning He met me with love, strength, and a peace that carried me through each day. In early 2023, the Holy Spirit placed a desire in my heart for Chance to have a friendship with our new pastor. Throughout 2023 I prayed for Chance to have a friendship with him. I knew a friendship with him would likely result in some form of accountability. It would also be a friendship that Chance desperately needed outside of his existing friendships with others. I didn’t think it was any coincidence that our new pastor and Chance were the same age. In December 2023, God answered many of my desperate prayers. Chance met with our pastor on December 18th after several days of conviction. I have no doubt God ordained a friendship that allowed Chance to feel comfortable with our new pastor. For the first time, Chance heard the harsh words, “Buddy, you’ve checked off all of the boxes of an alcoholic.” On Monday, December 18th, 2023, Chance stopped drinking and began walking in obedience with the Lord again. The week before he had been on a hunting trip with friends. On his ride to the airport to come home, the Lord began laying conviction on his heart. The conviction that day turned into days of conviction and on the third day the conviction became too difficult to carry on his own. On December 18th, at work, after getting on his knees on the bathroom floor of my family’s business, he handed God the weight of functional alcoholism that he had been carrying over the past few years. God miraculously allowed our family to receive the desperate healing that we needed. Only God could do the work that happened last Christmas in our home. The thankfulness I have for God’s healing, and Chance’s obedience still regularly brings me to tears. It will always be one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received. Not every day has been easy since December 18th, 2023. Some days have been incredibly hard. We’ve learned a lot about withdrawal, cravings, and spiritual warfare. The enemy doesn’t like defeat. However, each day has been better than any day before. If you saw us last Christmas, you likely remember the smiles on our faces and the “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves.” - Joni Eareckson Tada Merry Christmas! INTHEVUE.COM | DECEMBER 2024 69
