Stranger

I met a stranger today and his name was Bradley. He is 29 years old and hooked on heroin. He has an adorable little girl who Is 3 and he has sole custody. They were hungry and I asked if they wanted to come with me for some pizza. I didn’t want to give him money. We sat and talked while his little girl ate and ate piece after piece of pizza. He asked for help because he can’t kick the heroin and he knows it will kill him and take him away from his little girl. He was raised in an abusive home and he has been trying to make a life for himself but he can see nothing but hopelessness and despair. He talked about how he got into the drug using lifestyle. He started out using pain pills for genuine pain due to an accident and then just kept graduating up to more drugs.

Since I met him outside the hospital setting, I tried to get him admitted but they said they were full until tomorrow. Then we tried to figure out where to send his precious little girl while he went through detox and rehab. I called and called people and there was no one to take her. All I could do is share my life with him, all my failures and God’s rescuing power. I tried to breathe life back into him so he would make it one more day. I gave him all kinds of numbers to call and then left him with a leftover pizza and some prayers. Please pray that he will make it out of the desolation and bleakness of addiction into the light of God’s love. Pray for protection for Brooklyn, his beautiful little girl.