The young man was standing outside a travel stop near the interstate selling handmade wooden crafts. I recognized he was from a local drug and alcohol rehab that often set up outside the doors.
His high and tight hair cut, chiseled physique, and khaki cargo pants tucked into combat boots said he was ex military, and the eagle, globe, and anchor tattoo on his bulging right bicep left no doubt—this was a U.S. Marine.
I always stop and talk to these guys (who are often residents at the rehab) and ask them their story. The young man, I’ll call him Deric, was indeed a Marine combat veteran. He came back from Afghanistan with Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) and struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, along with threats of self-harm. But he was determined to put his life back together. You could see it in his eyes.
I rarely carry much cash, but that day had $40 tucked away in the console of my SUV, so I bought a beautiful piece of wooden wall art with a biblical message: “Faith can move mountains.”
I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Jesus – Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
As I continued talking with Deric, I recognized his determination fit the above scripture. His was a super-concentrated faith in God that could sit on the tip of a pinky finger—just like a mustard seed—but it was powerful enough to move the mountain of his struggle with addiction and mental health.
A month or so later, I met a man at the travel stop from the same rehab. I asked about Deric, and learned he was doing well. The fellow recovering addict told me the young Marine recently gave his testimony at a group meeting with everyone at the rehab.
He shared how he was desperate to be healed by Christ, and stay healed, for the sake of his wife, young son, and himself. Deric’s faith could move mountains because he was willing to do whatever it took to get to Jesus.
Kind reader, can you relate? Do you know someone who is holding on to heaven’s faith, hope, and love with every fiber of their being?
Are you this person? Am I?
We are all recovering from something.
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
The Stigma Stops Here. 🛑
#mentalhealthmatters
Davids Daily Dose 
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