Maggie* doesn’t remember much of the first three years of her life, but she thinks they must have been happy times. Her parents were still together then, living in a small rural town.
Then Maggie’s dad moved out and filed for divorce. So, it was just Maggie and her mother, living on a single wage, with little support from her father. The rejection laid heavily on her heart and her mother turned to alcohol to deal with her own issues.
As Maggie grew up, there wasn’t much for a teenager to do in a small country town, except experiment with drugs. Maggie started smoking pot at parties but eventually, someone introduced her to harder drugs and that’s when her life really spiralled out of control.
A drug habit is not cheap for a teenager with a part-time job, so she started stealing to fund her lifestyle. She became quite good at stealing and at pretending everything was okay. But she was headed for disaster.
A drug-fuelled one-night stand resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. Although she was afraid, Maggie just knew she wanted to keep her baby. He needed protecting, just like she did.
Maggie cleaned up her act, for him. But a difficult birth, followed by the sleepless nights and anxiety of new motherhood, drove Maggie back into her old habits.
This time, she hit rock bottom and found herself in prison following a botched robbery. She felt defeated and lonely. Worst of all, she felt like a terrible mother and decided to get clean, for the sake of her son, if not herself.
Maggie spoke with a prison chaplain and was so surprised and relieved when she told them everything she’d done. The chaplain didn’t look down on her or judge her at all.
Guilt and shame lifted from Maggie’s shoulders and she felt the comfort of her Heavenly Father for the first time. She gained the knowledge and support she needed to become the mother she always wanted to be.
Today, Maggie is living with her son and they attend their local church, where she volunteers in the weekly mother’s group.
Maggie is so thankful for her son; she was motivated to change for him. And she’s so thankful for God. She lives every day for Him.
* Name has been changed