“It is possible to recover!”
That’s what Brent and Ashley Walker want people to learn from their story.
Together, the couple has journeyed from addiction to a sober life, and they credit God with the transformation.
The hashtag #CleanChallenge is trending on all kinds of social media.
The creators of the #CleanChallenge encourage former addicts to post two pictures of themselves: one during the throes of their addiction and one from their current sober lives.
When Brent Walker saw the challenge on Facebook, he knew he had to share his story.
So he posted two pictures of both him and his wife, Ashley.
“This is my wife and I in active meth addiction,” he wrote, describing the first picture. “The first photo was taken around December 2016.”
But Brent had been struggling with addiction long before the photo had been taken. He was only nine years old when he discovered cigarettes and swiftly became addicted.
Cigarettes became a gateway to other substances and before he was even 15, Brent was addicted to acid, ecstasy, and cocaine.
He used drugs to block out the pain in his life.
When he was 20, he fell even deeper into the lifestyle of drugs after his younger brother suddenly died.
Brent started “shooting up pain pills and meth,” trying – without success – to fill the void in his life.
That’s when he met Ashley.
“She fell in love with me from day one,” Brent admitted. “I wasn’t ready to settle down. I wanted to deal my drugs and get high. So that’s exactly what I did.”
Brent found that he couldn’t stop his addictive lifestyle and it soon began to consume Ashley as well.
Eventually, Brent was arrested for three counts of sale and delivery of meth, as well as a charge of evading arrest. It was a “big wake up call,” he realized.
He was sentenced to two years in jail.
But while serving his sentence, Brent met Mayfield Brown, a Christian minister who encouraged him to rethink his life and change his priorities.
The minister’s work planted a seed in Brent, although it wasn’t obvious at first.
When Brent was released from prison, he returned to Ashley — and his former lifestyle of drug abuse and addiction.
The photo he posted on Facebook was taken during an intense “binge.”
He and Ashley had been taking drugs together for weeks, when one night, Brent realized that he wanted something to change.
“I remember watching her sleep and I could just see a perfect life. It seemed so real — we were clean and married, had a beautiful house and car,” Brent said.
“I woke her up and told her I wanted out, I was done with everything, I want to get sober and asked her if she would do it with me.”
Ashley was overjoyed.
“Babe I’ve been waiting my entire life for you to say that,” she told Brent.
From that moment on, their lives changed drastically.
Ashley and Brent were married a month later – but their biggest change was still to come!
Three months after they were married, Brent gave his life to Christ.
He credits God with all the transformation in his life. “We have lived for Christ since and He has blessed us in more ways than I could ever imagine,” Brent confessed.
The second photo in Brent’s Facebook post shows him and Ashley as they are now – healthy, joyful, and grateful for their new lives.
“This December 31st will mark three years we have been clean and sober and living for God,” Brent wrote.
Brent and Ashley relish the opportunity to share their testimony, hoping that it will impact those who are struggling with addiction. “I hope that my transformation can encourage an addict somewhere!” Brent wrote.
He knows that the biggest change of all, though, was his relationship with God.
“When you turn your life over to Christ, you let Him take over and He will be behind you the whole way, holding you up making sure that you make it,” Brent said.
“Once you make it, you will live the most happy and blessed life.”
“It will truly amaze you how happy you become,” he concluded.
Brent and Ashley’s story is a powerful testimony! The couple now knows that joy and hope aren’t found in drugs – they’re found in Jesus Christ, Who offers lasting peace and salvation.
Praise God for His power to rescue people from addiction!
For continued encouragement, you can read more #CleanChallenge testimonies here.
(h/t Christian Life Daily)