What Redemption Looks Like

 Ed Girard

An old high school friend stopped by this week as he was passing through the area on a road trip. It was great catching up with him. He and his wife have successful careers, they have great children who are contributing to society, and they are pillar members of a strong faith community where they live. He reminded me how surprised and happy he was when he learned that I had become a Christian (in my mid-20’s) and now he rejoices knowing I am working in ministry. It was great to catch up and to pray together before he continued on his trip. This sounds like a happy, idealistic story. It isn’t. This is a story of man’s brokenness and God’s redeeming love. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7) 

We grew up in the mid-1980’s. My friend had grown up in a strong, albeit a little weird, Christian home. You know the type of folks who use odd New King James style language at some of the most awkward times. He rebelled in his late teens and dove into the deep end of drug use and the drug lifestyle. It was heartbreaking to watch and he eventually vanished, literally. We and his parents had no idea where he was for a two-year span. A couple of years after high school I got a handwritten letter from him that simply said “I need help. Can you come and get me?” The envelope had a return address in Reno, NV. I happened to have a couple of days off work and me and another friend jumped in a car and drove to Reno in search of him. He wasn’t at the return address but talking with the people who lived there we were able to track him down. He was sleeping in the backroom of a drug house with a number of other heavy drug users. I was shocked when I saw him. He was completely strung out and looked to be close to death’s door. The other people in the drug house were not happy we were there to get our friend. We quickly packed up what little he had, loaded him in our car, and drove him back home to Washington. One thing still stands out to me about that day. As we loaded him into the car, he had tears in his eyes and he said he couldn’t believe that his prayer had been answered; that Jesus had sent someone to get him and take him home. 

After taking him home, my friend’s journey was not an easy or pretty one. He was able to get off drugs but had swapped them for alcohol and was in and out of recovery for a number of years. In his brokenness he let Jesus back into his life and slowly learned how to put his full trust in Him. With Jesus he was able to slowly put his life back together. The journey was not rainbows and roses and I am sure it still isn’t. If you were to meet him, it is unlikely you would be able to guess his backstory and it is unlikely it would come up.  

When we visited this week, as with most of our visits, we didn’t spend time talking about the story I just told you. We talked about today, our families, and our faith. As he was leaving, I was reminded of something he said to me a few years back. He said he lives each day with the reminder that Jesus saved his life on a day in May 1989 in a drug house in Reno, NV, when two friends showed up in answer to his prayer, to take him home.