Finding Jesus at Rock Bottom

Hope Happens!

Raised Catholic. Hated Religion. Drug Abuse. Attempted Suicide. Separation.

Motorcycle Accident. Finding Jesus. Restoration.

“But I realized it was never me doing anything without Him. I was never in control.”

– Patrick Young

Since a young age, religion was a hated topic. Raised Catholic, Patrick learned a distorted view of good and evil. Through various childhood experiences, Patrick felt “not good enough”. This caused Patrick to drift farther away from God as he grew older. Although he always felt God’s presence, it felt more like God gave you either good luck or bad luck; there was no personal relationship. At 19 years old, Patrick met the love of his life and married at 21 years old. Patrick knew his wife’s faith was important to her, so he went along with it. Patrick didn’t necessarily disagree with Christianity, but he also didn’t live it out or accept it as his own. A few years into marriage and a couple young kids later, Patrick began to feel lost and hopeless. Patrick began turning to earthly things to fill the void – which progressed into drug use. “I convinced myself I was in control of it, but in reality, it was in control of me. I let the darkness take over. I attempted to take my life.”

Thankfully, the attempt was unsuccessful. Patrick felt he had lost everything and yet was still shown hope. Patrick’s wife was fighting and praying for him to turn to God. Patrick said, “For the first time in my history of attending church, a pastor showed me he genuinely cared. Pastor Joshua visited me at the hospital and shared verses with me that gave me hope.” Patrick felt haunted by the things he’d done wrong, but he continued to be reminded he was not alone. Patrick began to read and listen more to the Word of God and through this Patrick began to hear Him. One Sunday during church service, Patrick felt God calling him to come forward and surrender his life to Jesus. He made a decision to accept Jesus Christ into his life and was baptized the same day. God provided hope in his time of need.

“I’d like to say I stayed on the path toward God, but I chose to not stay in the Word. Instead, I turned my back on everyone that loved me. I walked back toward the familiar darkness and thought I could do it all on my own. I put all of my time and focus into my career. I chose to separate from my wife and walked away from my family. But I realized it was never me doing anything without Him. I was never in control. I believe God told me if I thought I could do it on my own, he’d let me see the hard way that I couldn’t.”

One day Patrick walked away from his wife in anger, rode off on his motorcycle, and crashed within minutes. Patrick sustained a head injury, and his left arm was immobilized. He was unable to perform his job and was fired. Patrick underwent surgery, metal plating, and a year of physical therapy to regain use of his arm.

“My wife was still there praying for me and ready to take care of me. I felt like I was starting over. I broke down and cried out to God to help me. Through seeking God and being in His word regularly, I learned I'm loved and my hope is in Jesus alone. It wasn't immediate, but over time he has restored my family and has provided me more than I had before. I’m still learning about God, but I trust I’m never alone, I choose to go to Him with my struggles, and I know no matter what I’ve done He is faithful to forgive.”

Verses that helped Patrick:

2 Timothy 2:9 “for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”

Colossians 3:1-4 “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

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