The following is the story of a mother, Amber Wade, whose life was changed thanks to support from her local pregnancy center. Praise God for these centers and all they do for women!
From The Federalist. From my very earliest years, my life was set on a negative trajectory. … By 14 years old, I was on my own, and deep trauma and a sense of abandonment permeated every part of my life. To cope, I turned to drugs and sexual recklessness that quickly consumed my life.
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As an adult, I entered into a relationship with a man who, like me, was a drug addict. My addictions intensified the more time I spent with my now ex-husband, and I struggled with poverty and chronic homelessness as he went in and out of prison. …
The government soon took my children … and terminated my rights to them. …
Knowing I needed help, I sought treatment. … During this treatment, I discovered I was pregnant with my third child. I had my son and was living a responsible life until my ex-husband was released from prison and wanted to move in. In my codependency I allowed it, and we quickly relapsed. I then lost my rights to my third child. …
I stopped caring for myself and, just like my ex-husband, ended up incarcerated. Walking numbly, I waited for my life to be over.
Turning My Life Around
But to my surprise, it was in prison that my life began to turn around. There, desperate and hopeless, I finally prayed to God for help for myself and my children. It was then that I promised myself I’d get back up and fight for recovery.
Once out of prison, I got involved at a local church and discovered I was pregnant a fourth time. Terrified of losing a child to the state again, I expressed my fears to my church community, and they connected me with a local maternity home. The decision to seek help at Bethlehem House has transformed every facet of my life …
Bethlehem House wasted no time in making me feel welcomed, loved, and cared for. They gave me a free place to live so I didn’t need to work and could focus on building countless skills I had never acquired, like how to budget money and properly care for my son. Through therapy and sober support groups, I learned how to have healthy relationships and reject the addictions that had formerly ruled my life.
I realized I didn’t have to be on my own anymore — I had a strong, supportive, and patient group of people that ended up becoming family. They helped me find the stability I had always desired …
My Future
I cannot change my past, but it gives me great hope and joy to know my purpose for today and for the future: to love others and share my story with people who are going through similar situations. I want them to know that real, life-changing help does exist, and it begins with faith and the loving family environment at maternity homes like Bethlehem House. …
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(Excerpt from The Federalist. Photo Credit: Canva)