He Took the Fall and Thought of ... Even Me

Can you picture the Lord Jesus Christ, hanging in agony on the cross, thinking about how much He loves you? Seeing the sin in your life, yet despite your shortcomings, still overflowing with love, compassion and forgiveness for you?

It's hard to fully comprehend the great depth of God's love for us, isn't it? So imagine how much harder it is for those at Hope Ministries who are drowning in self-loathing and despair—for people like Norm, a junkie who described himself as "spiritually dead."

Norm came from Las Cruces, New Mexico. "I was on the street doing evil things," he painfully recalls. "Crossing into old Mexico, running dope . . . stealing . . . buying and selling women. I was eating out of dumpsters. I saw murders. None of it was enough to stop me." Norm said he had been living with friends and went to a gospel mission in Las Cruces to get away from dope for a day or two. There, he met a graduate of Hope Ministries' long-term recovery program who shared his own story of rebirth and redemption.

"I was running in the fast lane," Norm says. "But God slowed me down and I heard what that man was saying." The next thing Norm knew, he was headed for Hope Ministries himself.

Sometimes it's almost impossible for those who struggle with addiction and despair to accept the Lord's redemptive love that Michael W. Smith described in his song "Above All":

"Crucified, laid behind a stone; You lived to die, rejected and alone; Like a rose, trampled on the ground; You took the fall and thought of me, above all."

But as hurting and broken men, women and children see His powerful love in action at Hope Ministries, just as Norm did, their lives are changed forever.

Norm checked himself into our Bethel Mission facility, and through our STEP program received counseling to identify and overcome his destructive behaviors, guidance for living a healthy, non-addictive lifestyle and a firm grounding in God's Word through worship, reflection and prayer. Then he transitioned to our STAR program at our Door of Faith men's recovery center.

"Mostly I needed love and comfort," Norm says of his miraculous transformation. "I had a lot of anger and trust issues. The pastors and counselors here—they're such a great support system. God has placed these people as angels and tools in my life. God changed me, but they've given me the tools to move forward."

Norm shares that his experience has made him realize the power of God's redemption and depth of Jesus' love.

"Christ's love is unconditional. He would have come back just for me . . . just for one person. It is so amazing."

This Easter, hundreds of homeless men, women and children will join us to celebrate God's amazing love. They will hear, perhaps for the first time, how Christ willingly took the fall for them, laying down His life as a sacrifice so they could be forever changed.

Those of you who support Hope Ministries with your gifts also sacrifice for the homeless, hungry and addicted. When you give, you look past the bad choices our guests have made because you know it's what Christ would do—feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked. And for that, we thank you!