Ch 1: The Road Less Travelled.
What I want to share with you today is about sobriety, God, and everything in life that falls in between those categories. This is the opening chapter to my story, so thank you for joining me here!
I have recently celebrated my one year sober anniversary, followed 5 days later by my one year baptism anniversary.
It is truly no coincidence that a year ago, I found myself in a traumatizing situation that left me scarred and feeling broken to then follow through with my courageous decision 5 days later to redeem myself with God.
In the last year, I have become increasingly more vocal about my story. Spreading the word about what happened to me and how I have dealt with it accordingly has not only become therapeutic for me, but it has also provided others with an outlet. People come to me seeking help or resources. With my sharing, I have helped others out of dark situations and will continue to do so as much as I can for as long as I am capable.
The road less travelled is a statement we often hear. But what does it really mean? It means taking the unconventional path, which is less convenient and filled with uncertainty. Metaphorically speaking, I feel I have chosen to take the road less travelled — in both my sobriety and with my ever-evolving relationship with God.
Choosing sobriety initially was a no-brainer — hitting rock bottom and knowing the only way out was doing so with clarity is how my journey truly began. As the days turned in to weeks, then the weeks into months, my narrative shifted. Choosing this every single day is HARD. Everyone around me continued with their lives the same way, but I chose differently. It continues to present challenges that I never even knew of or fathomed existed.
But what other option do I have? The answer is I don’t have another option. The road less travelled — in this case, my sobriety — is the only path. Overcoming these obstacles is just part of my story now.
As the timeline in my story is parallel to one another, there are so many pieces that fit together between sobriety and my faith. In some way, deciding to live my life following God is also the road less travelled. I make the daily decision to choose faith over fear. Each day presents a new challenge with choosing to be faithful instead of fearful.
Some days are way easier than others. Some days, I am angry and frustrated with being patient, and that’s just the way it can be. It’s in those harder days that I remind myself that God’s plan is in place, so I must remain faithful to see how it all comes together with each beautiful chapter. My old self would be impatient — maybe run to a friend for advice to cope or even run to alcohol to escape.
This road less travelled is about turning away from those habits & leaning into God’s love, instead.
I choose every day to release the past version of myself that I once was so that I can now cherish my memories from a distance and move forward with grace and humility into who I am now and who I strive to be.
Welcome to my road less travelled. It could be a bumpy ride, but it will be well worth it.
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