When God Put His Foot Down
Thank God — literally — for a broken foot. Because if it weren’t for that broken foot, Paul would’ve walked away from Crossroads — and likely his only chance to live — at his first opportunity.
Paul started drinking at age 16 and pretty much never quit for the next 32 years. His alcoholism destroyed his marriage and his family. Still, they loved him enough to try to get him the help he needed.
The family intervention ended when they brought Paul to Crossroads one night. Paul was so drunk at the time that he doesn’t even remember it. And while intoxicated, he had broken his foot so badly that he couldn’t put any weight on it.
Crossroads doesn’t admit clients while they are under the influence, so they took him to the hospital to detox and to get his foot fixed. After detoxing and reconstructive surgery, the hospital brought Paul back to Crossroads about a week later. He hated it.
“I was very reluctant,” he says. “If I would’ve been able to walk out, I would have.” But God had put His foot down, and as a result, Paul couldn’t. He’d already had the family intervention. And now, looking back, Paul believes his broken foot was a form of divine intervention.
“I had stopped caring anymore about anything,” Paul says. “I wasn’t suicidal, but I didn’t care if I woke up in the morning, either. I didn’t realize how deep into drinking I was until I got to Crossroads. I don’t know how I functioned. It’s a mystery. But what I do know is that, by the grace of God, I landed here.”
For so long, Paul only knew a life of drinking. He’d forgotten what sobriety could look and feel like. And he likes it. “Drinking just seemed so normal to me,” he says. “But it doesn’t even sound fun right now. That’s a miracle in and of itself. Not long ago, I couldn’t have fathomed the thought of getting up for my morning shower without first taking a big swig.”
When he’s done with the program at Crossroads, Paul wants to live independently, though he’s not sure what he’d like to pursue. But he is convinced God has something in mind. In the meantime, he’ll just walk by faith … now that he can walk again.