I received a call from a lady asking if I would please visit her son who was incarcerated in the St. John Parish jail. Crying, she said, “I don’t know what to do anymore. He’s 31 years old, has been in eight or nine drug treatment centers but can’t stay sober. He does well for awhile and then gets drunk and gets in trouble.”

Having the privilege of conducting a weekly support group every Wednesday night in the jail, I met her son for the first time. After the meeting, we talked one-on-one for a short time. A fine looking, young man, fairly intelligent, he shared with me his problem with illegal drugs and alcohol.

In our brief conversation, he told me that his father left his mother when he found out she was pregnant. “Have you any contact with him?” I asked. He replied, “When I was 18, I found out he lived in Florida. I decided to look up the man who was responsible for me being born. We met for the first time. I stayed with him three or four days. We drugged and got drunk one night and the next morning he woke me up by punching me in the face. Stunned, I got up with a cut over my eye and my father telling me I had to leave and he didn’t want to see me again.” Is it any wonder that many young people have a hard time believing in God, a Heavenly Father who they cannot see, when their earthly father who they have a desire to love abuses and rejects them?

Before I left, I told him he must find in his heart to forgive his dad. We prayed for his salvation and also for his mom and dad.

I agreed to help him when he is released.

Will he be alright? That depends entirely on the decisions he makes in the future.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.