My name is…

My name is Amanda… and I am an addict… People often take those words for granted but for ME, when I say them in public, in a meeting, to myself, in general, what I am REALLY telling you is… I was a liar… I was a thief… I ran with a gang… I dealt drugs… I used drugs.. I used needles… I broke into cars… I broke into houses… I went to prison… I wore white… Multiple times… I was emotionally unstable with everyone within arms-length… Family… Boyfriends… Husbands… Friends… Kids… Dealers… Users… I committed almost every crime imaginable to get my next high… So, when I tell you that… I am telling you ALL about myself and my PAST. I am also effectively taking all the power out of it and I am NO LONGER embarrassed by WHO or WHAT  I USED  to be… Today, I am not defined by my past, because I don’t live there anymore. Recovery is not a hobby… It has become a way of life… So, call me a “junkie”… Call me an “addict”… Label me however you please… I am at peace with my past… Today, I live to follow that “still, small voice” and nothing else.. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17