The Caterpillar That Became A Butterfly | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: The Caterpillar That Became A Butterfly | Previous Challenge Entry
By Shanta Richard
01/25/11
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The Caterpillar That Became a Butterfly
My name is Peter. I am an addict. This is my third time in the Addiction Treatment Center. I have lost everything to alcohol addiction – my family, my home, my job, my self-esteem and most of all my faith. I know that God had given up on me. I am sitting alone in the Crisis Room suffering from acute withdrawal symptoms. I am so ashamed of myself that I wish I was dead. I wanted to scream. I bit on my clenched knuckles until it bled. I walked around the room like a caged animal.

It was nearly midnight. A pale moon glided peacefully on a dark blue cloudless sky. All was still and silent. I heard the muffled footsteps of the night nurse making her rounds. She knocked on my door and entered. Gently she asked me if I would like to have acupuncture treatment to calm me. I was desperate and was willing to try anything.

She took me to the treatment room and made me comfortable on the recliner and put the needles in my ears. She then turned on the soft music, dimmed the lights and left me. Half an hour later when she returned I was much relaxed. She removed the needles and brought me back to my bed. I told her I was not ready for sleep and asked her if she could give me a book to read.

“I am sorry,” she said, “the only book I have is my Bible and you can borrow it if you want.”
I accepted her offer and she gave me her Bible and left. I took the book and opened it randomly and started to read. It was the prophecy of Joel. It had only three chapters and I read them all that night. I was astonished to read that the only sin mentioned by Joel was alcoholism. “ Awake ye drunkards, and weep and howl all ye drinkers of wine…”(Joel 1 :5) That was me – these words were written for me. The palmer worm, the locust, the canker worm and the caterpillar destroyed Israel the same way my addiction has destroyed me.

As I read on I found that there was hope. “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all you heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rent your heart and turn unto the Lord you God for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness…..”(Joel 2:12-13) Right there, in that crisis room, I fell on my knees and with a broken and contrite heart asked for God’s forgiveness. I asked Him to give me strength to overcome my addiction. I claimed His promise to restore the years that the caterpillars of addiction had had eaten and destroyed. And then assured of His blessing I fell into a restful sleep.

The next day I was transferred to the Rehab Ward. I never saw that night nurse again. I thanked God for her. I treasured her Bible and read it everyday. From that day my recovery progressed rapidly. I did so well that after I was discharged I got an opportunity to go to school and become an addiction treatment counselor. I went back to Church. My wife and children returned to me. Life is beautiful and full of hope. The life that was destroyed by that disgusting addiction caterpillar has turned into a lovely butterfly of victorious joy. On bended knees I raise my heart in thanksgiving to God, who has restored to me the years that were destroyed by my sin.

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