Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: In and Out (04/30/09)
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TITLE: From Chaos to Comfort | Previous Challenge Entry
By Krista Davis
05/06/09 -
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Sadly, Kim did not have the parental guidance, supervision, and discipline that would have made the difference in her lost and wandering soul. There just weren't enough consequences to her impulsive behavior to make her think objectively. So, at sixteen, she embarked on a detrimental journey of exploration and carefree living - to belong, to feel connected to an elusive "something", through whatever means necessary. She started smoking cigarettes because her boyfriend did....and he was cool. And wouldn't she be even cooler if she smoked pot, too? Looking all of twelve, she obtained a fake ID to get into local bars and clubs. There she learned that alcohol made her feel more likable and adventurous. She threw big and raucous parties when her parents were out of town, and drove their pickup truck around the neighborhood, with no driver's license. Who cared about dignity and self-respect at sixteen?
After she graduated high school, Kim secured a clerical job, working Monday through Friday, from 8 to 5. She'd never thought of college, and never been presented with the option. A few months after starting this new job, she was fired for not showing up. She had been arrested the night before, outside a nightclub. The bag of pot found in the glove compartment was really not hers. But the car was. She spent the night in jail.
This incident behind her, Kim found a ray of hope in her next job working in a hospital pharmacy. There she learned new and exciting skills, met different kinds of people, and felt a sense of belonging and pride. She was even promoted to a more responsible position. Three years into it, she decided she needed a change. She gave her notice -with no new job to go to - and never looked back. Until years later.
And so it went with Kim - constant job changes, wrong choices in boyfriends, parties, drugs, drinking, moving in with mom and dad, moving back out, then back in again. She had no focus, no direction, no clarity for a future. At 25 she became pregnant, married the father, had a beautiful baby boy, and all was going quite well in her life. For four and a half years. When the rosy color she was so familiar with became shadowed with shades of gray she gave up, divorced, and moved back in with mom and dad.
Two more marriages and divorces later, along with years of suffering from debilitating depression, God opened Kim's heart and asked her to let Him show her the way. She said yes.
Now her life is filled with the Spirit of Truth and Light, her inner turmoil has found a peaceful rest, and she is busy purging her old self out, letting new Life in. She has days of wondering how God could possibly forgive her for so many, many mistakes. And how could He even think of forgiving her for waiting so long to seek His saving grace? Because she finally found the truest, purest Love she could ever hope to find in all her tattered and misguided life of vain searching.
Kim's new Love knows her inside and out; knows her every thought; knows her every motive; knows her every sin, slight, and slip-up. He lives with her permanently and guides her coming in and going out. He whispers to her when she is feeling doubtful and low. He disciplines her with a loving hand. He shows her the right path to take, and walks beside her to give her confidence and support. He wipes away her tears, and gently rocks her to peaceful sleep at night. His name is Jesus. And there is no greater Love.
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I like your title a lot--great alliteration and word choice.