Chris' Story: I Was Shown Grace

Abusive instead of loving.

Dismissive instead of attentive.

Critical instead of understanding.

Chris’ stepfather was anything but a positive influence in his life, instead afflicting the young boy with pain, confusion and self-loathing.

As he grew older, Chris sought out those who made him feel he belonged – who made him feel good about himself. But sadly, he found them in all the wrong places.

“I was hanging out with the wrong crowd,” he says, “doing wrong things that led to bad decisions with drugs and alcohol.”

As he grew into adulthood, those poor choices prevented Chris from building a stable life… until he met a woman whose love and understanding made him want to change his ways. They married, and he worked hard to be the man they knew he could be. “But then everything fell apart again. I fell back into my old habits, but worse.”

The marriage ended, and without that anchor, Chris felt he was set adrift. He traveled in his van, doing whatever was necessary to support his addiction until finally he crossed the line. He broke into a construction trailer.

Chris was arrested and faced a litany of charges that could have landed him in prison. Instead he was offered the opportunity to serve probation at the Mission. And he made the choice that changed his life:

“I said I’d do whatever I had to do to stay out of prison. But during my time here, I’ve actually had a closer relationship with God.”

In our LifeBuilders Program, we’re addressing all of Chris’ needs – from social, educational and economic, to emotional and spiritual. He’s beginning to understand, from a faith-based perspective, the personal challenges in his life. “I wasn’t loving myself so I wasn't able to love someone else properly. Now I have a better connection to God, a better connection to myself and it’s helping to heal that inner child.”

Yet, the transition wasn’t smooth sailing. At one point he strayed and was concerned his probation would be rescinded. But Chris was amazed at how Mission staff responded to the situation, encouraging him to ask for God’s forgiveness.

“They didn’t want to punish me, they wanted to help me. That opened my eyes to what a beautiful thing it is to be shown grace.”

As he completes the holistic requirements of our program, Chris works in our warehouse handling food donations, where he is pleased to have become the “go-to guy” others count on. He’s honing these virtues of responsibility and accountability to use toward a career in construction when he leaves our care.

Before coming to the Mission, Chris says, he was trying to drink away all his bad feelings and emotions. Today, he loves himself and knows being sober will help him fulfill what he’s called to do for God, society and his family.

And he wants to tell others that it’s never too late: “Seeing the variety of ages that we have here… If you do mess up, don't give up. Just keep going. God's a forgiving god. And the Mission is a place of grace.”

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City Rescue Mission (CRM) is dedicated to providing housing, one-on-one counseling, career services, addiction recovery, spiritual mentorship and so much more for needy individuals in Jacksonville and beyond. But we can’t do it alone! Visit CRMJAX.org to get involved or make a donation.