Another Perspective

This blog entry is written by my husband, Joe. I thought it might be interesting to have another perspective, since the entire family is affected by the actions of my son.

For almost 20 years I have talked with counselors, rehab clinics, group therapists, clergy, and law enforcement officials trying to help my son. Interestingly, all of the experts agree on a universal truth about drug addiction: there are only three possible outcomes.   No matter which path you or yours chooses, addiction leads to only three destinations.  You will clean up, you will go to prison, or you will die.  This is an absolute truth.  So in my daily prayers to God, I ask Him to steer my son to the best option:  sobriety.  Because he has been involved with the other two outcomes - he’s is in prison now, and nearly died before he got there.

Many people don’t know the entire story. Here goes:

On January 9, 2010   The phone rang at 11:45 PM.  Over the years, we have been conditioned to expect the worse from a late night call, but could not even imagine the horrors this one held. It was a nurse from UAB Medical Center telling us my son Matt had been shot at close range during a home invasion.  She told us our son was conscious; we even talked to him briefly.  He asked us to go to his house and lock the door before we came to the hospital. 

Nothing could prepare us for what we saw as I turned into his driveway. It was surreal.  A half dozen police cars parked in the front yard.  Blue lights flashing.  Yellow crime scene tape.  Detectives everywhere.  It looked like they were filming a crime movie,  Stunned, we just sat there staring.   Carol was unable to even get out of the car.  When I finally opened the door I was  approached by a detective. 

Without any specifics, he told  me my son was involved with some bad people and was in over his head.   Later I learned that as the police combed the home for clues to the attempted murder, they found evidence linking my son to two drug store robberies.  He didn’t take any money,  just prescription pain relievers.  Apparently word got out on the street that my son had made a large “score”.  So whoever came in the house was going to take the drugs and kill him.  He nearly succeeded.  The shooter had an AK 47 assault rifle pointed at his head.  The shooter was so close that my son grabbed the gun barrel as he was squeezing the trigger.  Instead of killing him instantly, the shot went thru his arm, shattered a bone, and then punctured his lung twice.  The surgeon informed us that from point blank range the velocity of the bullet was so great that if it hit him anywhere in the upper part of his body, the shock wave would have been fatal.   

I retrospect, I believe God took over on this January night.  It’s almost like He said to us, ”OK, you have been dealing with this for 20 years.  Enough!  I’m taking over from here. I will let our son face death.  I will imprison him. I will get his attention.”

Is it so different from Paul?  Paul was struck down, blinded.  He never knew if he would see again.  He had time to reflect.  God got his attention and his life was changed.   My hope is that the same thing is true of my son.  I believe the Lord has spared my son for a reason.  My prayer is that He uses him and his story as an instrument to help rescue others on the path to destruction.