August 11, 2019
Isaiah 1:17
by Dan Young
CLM of Pikeville UMC (Pikeville, TN)
Scenic South District

Learning to Do Right:  Seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17.

December 28, 2010. I was just getting home from another late night at work, looking forward to my 32oz. beer that I drank on a daily basis. As I walked in to my home, the phone rang. It was the police. My wife had been found at a friend’s house passed out with zero blood sugar, they didn't think that she would make it as they rushed her to the hospital. I was in shock! What was I to do? I rushed to the hospital and Drs. told me that the MRI was conclusive. She would never have any quality of life again if she survived. I got down on my knees and asked God to please save her. I said  " God I know I haven’t been doing right but please don't let my sin harm my wife. I will change and follow you. Please just spare her"!  Well, he did. She had to learn how to talk, walk, eat, and read again but after many challenges she is recovering. I had a rough time in the year to follow but I kept my word to God. I quit drinking and started focusing on what God wanted me to do. Standing up for the least of these and taking care of those in need. Serving in my local church and taking leadership positions. I found that God used this time to move me towards an understanding of what the Gospel was all about. Loving God. Loving others. Doing what is right. Searching for justice in all things. What a work he has done and is continuing to do.
 
Praise His Holy name Forever and Ever.  Amen.