My name is Aaron Dove. I am 30 years old and was raised in a loving and caring family, with a good childhood. I went to church occasionally, and my family were all Christians, so I knew who God was, but I never had a personal relationship with Him. I started drinking and smoking pot around the age of 13. I began living a double life, being the person my family wanted me to be around them, but when I was with my friends, I was living in sin. By the age of 17, I was fully living the party life. I thought it was cool to drink the most and be the life of the party. I began using pills and was drinking every day. I dropped out of school when I was 17, and my life quickly changed. Over the next few years, my addiction became worse, leading me to harder drugs. My life completely fell apart, leaving me hopeless and feeling alone.
I had distanced myself from my family and those who truly loved and cared about me because of the life I was living. It got to the point where they didn’t want much to do with me, which left me extremely depressed. I tried getting clean many times by my own strength, but I could never succeed. In desperation, I went to Celebrate Recovery and heard a man’s testimony about how God had changed his life. I felt very convicted and ended up giving my life to the Lord that night. I prayed to God for help, and He answered my prayer by sending me to prison. When I got out, I went to a year-long discipleship program. I did well for almost two years, but then I relapsed. I overdosed, which put me in the hospital for a couple of weeks. I was so ashamed of messing up, and I thought that God would not forgive me for turning my back on Him, so I ran from Him for a couple of years. This time, my addiction became worse than ever before.
I had completely isolated myself from everyone and reached the point where I didn’t even want to live any longer. I was completely broken, hopeless, and had given up. But God did not give up on me. He showed me grace and pulled me out of the dark place I was in when I was arrested and spent a couple of years in prison. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” I knew it was God who had saved me. I began to seek His will for my life and got into His Word every day. I was uncertain what to do when I got out, but a man named Mike Simmons came to a church service one night and talked about Freeway Ministries. He shared his testimony, and he had a joy that I wanted. I knew this was a sign from God, showing me where I needed to go, so I joined the program, and my life began to drastically change.
I have fully surrendered and live my life based on the Word of God. God has transformed me into a person I never thought I could become. He has given me peace in my heart, and today I have hope. I have an identity in Christ. God has placed me in a wonderful church with people who truly love and care about me and don’t judge me for my past. They see me as the person God has made me today. I believe the most important thing is getting plugged into a local church. I have a new family in the church, and I’m very thankful for their support and for the friendships I’ve made. God is restoring the relationships with my family that I had broken over the years. I don’t think or act the way I used to. I’m a completely different person, and I give all the glory to God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” I know today that God forgives me for the things I have done, and He gives me peace. I know that the old person I was is dead now that I live in Christ. I am a new creation. I have been given a desire for His Word and to have a personal relationship with Him. There is freedom in Christ, and the free gift of salvation is offered to all of us.