Restoration and Healing 

Bob Williams, Just Like Me Leader 

As a survivor, I’m reminded every day of a journey that stretched over twelve difficult years. Looking back, I can now see that God had been planting seeds of knowledge, strength, and hope within me, even when I couldn’t recognize them. During that time, I felt like I was only existing. Substances were first used to control me, and later I relied on them to numb the pain and simply get through each day. Eventually, that wasn’t enough. 

My journey began at 17, after a traumatic event left me feeling isolated and without support. In those days, there were few resources for boys, and it wasn’t something people talked about. That path led to homelessness, survival by any means, and being taken advantage of in ways no one should experience. 

I’m often reminded of Isaiah 40:29
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
I was both weak and weary, but I held on. I got clean and sober at 29, and it was one of the hardest battles of my life. In the early years of sobriety, I realized that the circle around me had to be made of people who truly wanted to see me healthy, happy, and growing—people who would walk beside me as I learned boundaries, self-respect, and, most importantly, hope. Those were things I didn’t have before. 

Someone shared Jeremiah 30:17 with me:
“For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord.”
It helped me recognize that even though I was broken, God could bring healing. With faith, I realized I could step into the light rather than remain in the darkness. That was when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and understood that all things are possible through Him. I came to trust that healing would take time, that God had a plan, that my past did not define me, and that I could hand my struggles over to Him. 

I was told relapse was part of recovery, but deep down I believed that didn’t have to be my story. I learned to treat myself with kindness, to forgive so that true healing could begin, and to love the person I am becoming. I learned to be proud of the man I am today. 

To anyone reading this: you were born pure and beautiful. You are one of God’s children, and your life is not a mistake. We cannot change the past, but we can shape the future. God heals the brokenhearted and lifts up those who feel crushed in spirit. Never give up. You matter, you are important, and your journey may one day be someone else’s source of hope.