God blessed the broken road… It’s not just the title of a mega hit from the country band, Rascal Flatts… it’s also a summary of a wonderful story of redemption about a friend of mine I met at the Union Rescue Mission.
Mike grew up in New Orleans and he still has the accent to prove it. He had an abusive father and at the young age of 14 he left home to escape. Kids alone at that age get into trouble and Mike was no exception. He sought relief from the pain of rejection in all the usual places and bad consequences added to his emotional sorrow.
God blessed Mike with strong people skills. He’s a likable guy. Mike used that skill to his advantage to become a successful salesman for some good companies, including management at Coca-Cola. But his dysfunctional background continued to plague him and he eventually self-destructed.
Mike didn’t have the advantage of growing up in an encouraging home. He was abused and rejected by the very ones who should have loved and protected him. Along his journey he made a lot of poor choices that hurt a lot of people including himself. He has a lot of regrets, guilt and shame he’s had to work through.
He made promises to God along the road as well and failed to live up to them. It brings tears to eyes to recall the experience. He had to come to an end of himself before things would begin to change. Mike found himself in Las Vegas totally broken with no home and no one to turn to but the local mission.
It was about this time that Mike found out he had cancer. That’s when he found out about the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles in the heart of skid row. He agreed to get on a bus and check into the mission as they had the services he would need if he was to survive on his journey in life.
Little did Mike know that God would amazingly bless his broken road and lead him into His loving arms. God used his broken life to lead him straight to Himself. Mike has found redemption in Christ. Today he has a hard time talking about it without crying. This tough kid whose relatives were in the mafia has been transformed into a tender-hearted follower of Jesus.
He needed treatment five days a week for six weeks. He was planning on taking the public transit bus back and forth. That would take him three hours extra a day. Deed and Truth is stepping in to cover the cost of getting him Access, a private taxi to get his treatments. He is truly grateful.
Today, it’s almost as if Mike penned the words to this song himself as he can testify… “This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you. It’s all part of a grander plan that now is coming true.”
Please pray that Mike’s personal story of redemption inspires others to find healing out of brokenness. Mike has no guarantee that God will heal his cancer, but he is already has seen God heal his brokenness. And for that, he is eternally grateful.
Check out a couple short videos of Mike sharing his story
-Pastor Dan