07/15/2026
I used to get high because I wanted to escape reality. I was not chasing drugs as much as I was chasing a different destination. I wanted to wake up somewhere my mind felt lighter, my heart felt whole, and my past no longer followed me. Every high promised to take me there, but every morning I found myself right back where I started.
The more I searched, the more I realized nothing in this world could satisfy what my soul was asking for. I was looking for peace, purpose, and belonging, but I was searching in places that could only offer temporary relief. I did not know it then, but my heart was searching for Jesus.
The night I gave my life to Christ, something happened that no substance had ever accomplished. I did not feel like I had discovered another escape. I felt like I had finally come home. For the first time in my life, I was no longer searching for somewhere else because I had found the One I had been looking for all along.
Paul wrote, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8. Those words make perfect sense to me now. Once I experienced Jesus, everything I used to chase lost its value. Knowing Him became greater than every temporary feeling I had ever pursued.
Before Christ, I believed life was somewhere in front of me if I could just find the right escape. After Christ, I realized life had already found me. Jesus did not invite me on another endless search. He welcomed me into a finished work where I could finally rest.
When the apostle Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was traveling in one direction and, in a single encounter, everything changed. He was not simply given a new assignment. He was given a new identity. The destination he thought he was pursuing became meaningless compared to the Savior who stood before him. Acts 9 reminds me that one meeting with Jesus can redirect an entire life.
I no longer define myself by what I escaped. I define myself by who rescued me. The cross did not simply remove my guilt. It brought me into a relationship that can never be taken away. I belong to Christ, and that truth has become the foundation of my life.
Paul also wrote, “For to me to live is Christ.” Philippians 1:21. That is more than a beautiful sentence. It is the reality that changed my life. I spent years trying to make life meaningful through things that could never satisfy. Now I know that life is not found in an experience. Life is found in a Person.
People sometimes ask me what finally made me stop. I tell them I stopped looking for another destination because I realized I had already arrived. Jesus became my peace. Jesus became my joy. Jesus became my purpose. When I found Him, there was nowhere else I wanted to go.
The amazing thing about grace is that it does not leave us wandering. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus brought us near and gave us a place in His family. I am not trying to find where I belong anymore. Because of Him, I already know.
When I look back, I do not see someone who finally became strong enough to quit. I see someone who was found by the Good Shepherd. He led me out of darkness and into His marvelous light, and He has faithfully held me ever since.
If you feel like you have spent your life chasing something that always seems just out of reach, I want you to know what I discovered. The destination your heart longs for is not another feeling or another escape. It is Jesus, and when you know Him, you realize you have finally arrived.
