November 2013
Danny has always lived in Kensington and his hard life of alcohol abuse is taking its’ toll. When I pulled my van out early Wednesday morning Danny was retching by the el pole. The hand he used to balance himself against the pole had a hospital band on his wrist. He had been released a couple of days before after a visit due to a near overdose.
It will not take much for Danny to overdose. He has done so much physical damage to his body, his system is shutting down. He has had to stop drinking because his body can no longer process alcohol.
Unfortunately, he is using heroin to maintain a drug induced state of being. When he wakes up in the morning he needs to use heroin to not be physically sick. In some ways I “hope” he gets enough to allow his body to be at peace, but I know that is not an answer to what he really needs. What the enemy promises as a solution is slowly robbing Danny of life. The reality is Danny will not be on this earth much longer. Even if today he never does another drug he is an end stage addict. He has a pace maker in his heart, his kidneys are shutting down, his liver is severely damaged. You can see visible swelling when he sits on the sidewalk.
As hopeless as this all sounds there is a perfectly alive soul in Danny that may or may not spend eternity in heaven in a new restored body. He has heard the gospel many times, some of you have sat and shared with him. When he is sober he is kind, intelligent, articulate, and eager to hear the “good news”. The addiction grips his body, he chooses to follow his flesh nearing its’ end. I know the Lord would exchange Danny’s filthy garments for a clean robe of righteousness at any point. My prayer is that he would make that decision and soon.
His physical state of being has opened my eyes to the desperate situation many of our neighbors are in; balancing on the edge of this world and eternal life. We believe we need even more prayer to see the lives that are gripped by the enemy released. Our neighbors hate the drugs they use, hate themselves for using, hate what they have to do to buy their drugs but they live in a state of hopelessness unaware of the freedom in Christ they can experience. Our prayers may open these prison doors. It is definitely a spiritual battle; Danny is in the fight of his life.
Living here every day I am made aware of how temporary this life is. I see the evidence in the eyes of those slowly killing themselves by the lifestyle they “live”. A new life in Christ is an incredible gift for us all. I am so thankful for His grace and mercy. He makes himself available to all who call upon his name. Oh may Danny’s voice be singing in that heavenly choir…Holy, Holy, Holy…Please keep him in your prayers. We pray a miracle both physically and spiritually!