It's officially September, and as the seasons begin to change, we of course continue to focus not on the changes we see in the world around us, but at the changes we see in ourselves: those changes are often harder to pin down, but they're some of the most rewarding that an individual will ever experience!
That's why we're back with another Transformation Tuesday: Hope Center's weekly opportunity to celebrate the fact that our God is a God of restoration, both physical and spiritual, and to recognize the incredible progress made by one of our residents who's embraced the promise of recovery with open arms.
This week we celebrate the absolutely mind-blowing transformation of our Sikeston, MO Recovery Pastor Daniel Williamson.
Like many who struggle with addiction, Daniel's story begins at a young age. He struggled with IV fentanyl and heroin usage for over 21 years before seeking recovery, and describes this time in his life as being 'marked by lack of purpose', and an overall feeling of having nowhere that he truly belonged.
According to American Addiction Centers, "loneliness a significant stressor that’s associated with social, psychological, and physical health outcomes, but [is also] linked to depression and anxiety as well as substance misuse." And it's easy to understand why loneliness and substance abuse can go hand in hand – anyone who's been lonely, truly lonely, can tell you that you'll do almost anything to find a connection with others, even if that connection is as skin-deep as the ones you find through drugs.
Before coming to Hope Center Daniel had what he describes as 'a 6 and a half year period of relative sobriety', during which he felt he had "done" recovery well enough, and no longer needed to work the steps to stay sober. This confidence proved unfounded however, and led him to the arrest, and following mugshot, that you see attached to this post.
The honest truth is that for many in recovery, addiction is not something you ever truly 'get over'. You may have good days, and you'll probably have bad days, but the threat of relapse is ever-present, no matter how far away you might feel it is. That's why our program with Hope Center Ministries is so focused on the principle of self-transformation through faith: by way of changing every aspect of how our residents live their lives, we work to encourage them to find healthy, substance-free ways to get through the day-to-day rigors of the world, with a supportive faith community behind them. Lacking this community is one of the things that Daniel states led to his relapse; and finding it with Hope Center is one of the reasons he hasn't repeated that cycle since.
During his time with Hope Center Daniel embraced the community aspect of our program harder than any other: acting as a First Phase Community Leader and a Recovery Pastor Intern for the Edmond, Oklahoma Men's Center, before becoming a full time Recovery Pastor for Sikeston, Missouri. Faith, for many, is the cornerstone of recovery; but for Daniel, it's the community that faith brings that keeps him on his journey day by day. And as the resident pastor for an entire house full of recovering addicts, the community that Daniel works to build is now leading others out of the same darkness he once found himself in.
Sometimes, true transformation is not just about the change we see in ourselves, but in how we change others through our experiences, and Daniel's testimony is a perfect proof of concept.
Thank you Daniel for all that you do for the men of the Sikeston, MO Center and beyond! And to all, a happy Transformation Tuesday!
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