JODY

I have never dealt with grief, sorrow, heartache, or generally any situation that I felt was too heavy, very well. In my late teens I discovered that substances worked very well to suppress my anxieties about the troubles that I was facing. At first it was drinking on the weekends, then smoking marijuana, and before I knew what hit me, my entire life was spinning out of control with a full on Meth and opiate addiction. 

Looking back, it is ironic that the place that I turned to overcome my pain and suffering would cause my family and I more pain than I could ever imagine. I lost jobs, friends, family, my sanity, and at times my freedom. In 2007, I overdosed for the first time. When I arrived at the ER I was already clinically dead but finally after 3 hours, the doctors were able to get my body to accept the ventilator. I stayed in a coma for days, putting everyone who loved me through a living hell. 

I was told then that I was a miracle and that God had a plan for my life. After leaving the hospital I went to a 30 day rehab center, but as I would find out it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t two weeks out of rehab before I was right back at it. Several more years of the same downward spiral would pass, along with more loss, more pain and even more trips to the ER. Finally, in 2015 I found myself in jail for a DUI with no place to turn. 

I had burned all bridges with family and friends and did not have a cent to my name. I called my mom and she said something to me that I will never forget as long as I live, “Jody, you need to stay in there, because I’m scared I’m going to love you to DEATH.” It was then that I truly realized how selfish I had been and how much pain my addiction had caused the ones who loved me most. That night I prayed to God for the first time in years and asked Jesus to come into my life. And boy did He ever! 

He began opening doors for me and placed me in a place called Mission at the Cross. I had planned on staying 6 months but the Lord had other plans. April 29th 2020, made five years since that night I gave my heart to Christ and I still haven’t left Mission at the Cross. God has shown me that I am strong enough to face my fears and struggles without any substances and He has surrounded me with God loving people that want nothing but the best for me. Sure, there are still difficulties that I must face but if I face them with God’s strength, there is no storm that I cannot weather. Now my mission in life is to help others who have the same struggles that I once had, and share with them the things that have been revealed to me. 

So, don’t give up hope, there is life after dope.

-Jody Blakeney
Mission at the Cross 601-342-2678