“Those People.”

We all walk with a limp.

The limp may be physical.

Worse yet, the limp may not be detectable to others. Your limp may be from a broken heart, a loss so deep you can’t express it, or just the collection of scars that life sometimes inflicts.

Time and again I hear church folks refer to “those people.” When they use that phrase, they mean people who have a different kind of limp. They refer to the unhoused, the addicted, the incarcerated, or any of a long list of people who are different in some way.

Below is a brief testimony of one of “those people.” She is different though. She is a stunning beauty.

She looks like your daughter. And she is my hero. I have known her most of her life. Her uncle is my brother-in-law and her father is a high school classmate. She is as close to family as she can be and not share DNA.

Here is her post from Aug. 12:

“…August 12th…

“May seem pretty insignificant to most.

“But, August 12th means a whole lot more to me.

“It is a day of celebration.

“It is a day of freedom.

“August 12th, 2010 – I got high for the very last time

“August 12th 2010 – I stuck a needle in my arm for the very last time

“August 12th 2010 – I went to jail (for an extended stay) for the very last time

“August 12th, 2010 was the day God intervened..

“August 12th, 2010 was the day God saved my life!!!

“August 12th, 2010 was •THIRTEEN• years ago!!

“If you knew me 13 years ago when I was living in addiction then you know what a marvelous work the Lord has done in my life!! 

“Today I celebrate 13 years of sobriety!! 

“Today I celebrate 13 years of freedom!!

“Today I celebrate because 

“HE DELIGHTS IN ME ?

“Sobriety is hard. So hard.

“But it CAN be sustained. It can be achieved.

“I am proof of that ?

“He delights in me, but He delights in you just as much ?”

Today, she is a successful real estate agent in Guntersville, a wife and mother of twins. 

She has faced and overcome cancer this past year. She is the picture of love and grace.

Maybe she shares a common story with you. Maybe you have a child in addiction. Maybe you are in addiction or recovery.  

I think we should all be able to admit that we are all in recovery of some kind. My limp is more socially acceptable that hers was. But it is still a limp.

At one time or another, we have all been one of “those people.”

Aaron Johnson is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. He is pastor of Christ Redeemer Church in Guntersville.