In awe...

You know those nights where your mind will just not let you fall asleep? You toss and turn, looking over at your clock every once in awhile and cannot believe how slow time is passing. Well tonight is one of those nights.

Tomorrow is a pretty huge day for my family. My brother Jason is getting baptized. This may seem like an ordinary 'whatever' occurance to most, but it's a bigger deal than what's seen on the surface. I think I even underestimated it. Tomorrow is the day of firsts. For the first time that I can ever remember, my family (all of my family) will be at church together. My dad and mom probably haven't been in a church service together for at least 15 years. and the fact that the reason that brought them there is that they will be watching their 29 year old, first born son, now proudly 6 months sober and clean of any drugs for the first tme in 12 years publically profess the death to his addictive flesh and pain filled past and claim life to his spirit and promise filled future.

I cannot believe the transformation that Jason has made; I don't think any of us can. I know it is going to be a surreal moment to every member of my family tomorrow.
For my mom, who unfortunately had to watch Jason's years of struggle from the sidelines, or my other brother John, who saw it all and took the grunt of it most of the time, or my dad, who doesn't believe change is possible. Jason's strength has shaken us all!

To anyone who has every had a family member with these struggles, you can understand the emotions I am talking about.

Jason is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. All the crap (which is a massive understatement) he has gone through over the past 15 years was not in vain. Healing that I didn't think possible has occured in my family because of this transformation.

I am estatic and cannot wait to see the growth in my family over the next few years.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Jason and my family; it is only by the grace of God that I am able to write about this.

I'm going to stop now because I could go on forever, but I will leave you with the verse that I handed Jason 3 years ago as he got on a plane and started his journey of rehab...

"Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world" 1 John 4:4

In awe of His grace,
Jolene