VL-Issue 44- July 22

I had grown up hearing about God. But
at the same time, I was taught to rely on my
intellect and performance. I came from a
long lineage of successful people; we didn’t
need anyone’s help, not even God’s. I clung
to the belief that I was in control and could
achieve anything if I set my mind to it.
But in that ugly place, I finally had a
life-changing revelation: I wasn’t in control
of anything! My intellect, self-efforts, and
awards couldn’t bring me happiness and
stability, nor could they free me from my
emotional and mental prison. I didn’t have
a clue about how to manage life.
I was a homeless meth and heroin addict
who had lost everything that mattered, including
my freedom. It was time I moved
aside and gave up the reins.
Once released to the jail’s general population,
I began attending church and
I became a master at
wearing a mask, and no
one knew a frightened
little girl was hiding within.
Narcotics Anonymous meetings. There, I
learned that God was a loving and caring
Father. This concept intrigued me, and I
began to open my heart to Him.
New feelings, thoughts, and desires
introduced themselves to me. They were
foreign yet strangely familiar, and I felt I’d
come home to where I’d always belonged. I
found a new desire to live and love.
The morning I was to receive my prison
plea, I knelt beside the jail toilet and surrendered
my life to the care of God. “God, if
You want to send me to prison, that’s okay.
I’ll go wherever because I know You’re
coming with me.”
Later that day, I learned that the state
Sheridan’s smile was big, but
the emptiness in her heart was
bigger and led to incarceration.
prosecutor had changed the plea
deal. Instead of serving a threeand-a-half-year
prison sentence,
I was sent to the Phoenix Rescue Mission. I
would remain there for one year with three
years’ probation. I entered the Mission’s
gates wanting, willing, and ready for whatever
God had in store.
I knew God was inviting me to trust Him,
but it’s hard to trust someone you don’t
know. So I started studying His Word, the
Bible. God lit a fire inside me for Himself,
and as I learned more about Him, my mental
illness, addictions, and hopelessness
lost their holds on me. God began to change
me from the inside out. I no longer felt like
a counterfeit version of myself. I finally felt
seen, heard, loved, and accepted.
But then, after seven months in the program,
I was a witness and an accomplice
to another person breaking the program’s
rules. Initially, I didn’t think I would be affected
because I wasn’t the one breaking
the rules. But there were consequences,
and I had a choice: either restart the program
or defer to prison.
I stayed in the program, accepted the
discipline (Hebrews 12:6), and learned
from my mistake. Like David in Psalm
139:23–24, I asked the Lord to highlight
anything preventing me from moving
forward with Him.
The Lord soon revealed something
critical—I needed a Savior. Although I had
recognized my need for God, turned my life
over to His care, learned lots of scripture,
and even experienced a real-life change,
I hadn’t come to know His Son, Jesus, as
my Lord and Savior. I hadn’t accepted what
He’d done for me on the cross. I was still
relying on my good works.
My deceitful action at the Mission revealed
the sinful nature I still carried. I
needed to be born again in Christ to receive
a new heart. I asked God to forgive
me of my sin, and I put my faith in Jesus
for salvation rather than my performance.
I reached out to God through His Son
from that day forward, and He drew me
close (James 4:8). In His presence, both I
and that little girl living within me found
freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17) as we journeyed
through our traumas with His eyes
of love, compassion, and forgiveness.
Healing came through understanding
my worth. Knowing that God wanted to
hang out with a super-sucky person like
me changed everything. I had value now
because I belonged to and was wanted
by God, the Creator of the world. I could
take off the mask and be my authentic self
(Psalm 139:7–8) and still be loved.
The Lord got to work pruning me of
my religious, performing, and conforming
ways (Romans 12:2). He’s continually
ridding me of the things that feed my
independence and self-sufficiency. What
a relief to know that I no longer have to
rely on my limited strength, efforts, and
achievements. I can stand tall in Christ.
In His strength, I can do and overcome
everything (Philippians 4:13).
I am five years into my recovery now.
God’s love has given me a new life. All that
was dead and lost has been restored (Ephesians
3:20). I now have a sound mind (2
Timothy 1:7), am free from addiction and
mental illness, and have the courage and
resilience to face life without drugs.
Not only that, but the Lord has reconciled
and restored me to my family and
my two sons. He has also blessed me with
a godly husband; we were married earlier
this year. I am still amazed at the goodness
of God and thankful that He was willing to
patiently bring me home to Him, where I’ve
always belonged.
You can belong to Him too. Right now,
He is beckoning you to Him, where you’ll
find peace, contentment, and rest. Don’t
give up. There is hope. Jesus Christ can set
even the most traumatized heart and mind
free. And His arms are open to you today.
SHERIDAN CORREA is a biblical counselor
who is trained in trauma-informed care. She’s a
wife, mother of two teenage boys, singer, and avid
runner who has been radically changed by Jesus.
She joined the Victorious Living family in 2022 as
social media manager.
20 Issue 03 / 2022 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM