Teenage rebellion

     In case you didn't know, my husband is pretty amazing. Like most of us, he's done some things in his past that he regrets. Well, maybe. Those things we do, they make us who we are. They make us realize what we need; they can often turn us toward Jesus. Some never go through this phase; others breeze right through it and a few spend their lives  feeding sins and addictions. Not one of us isn't a broken, sinful mess. I'm so thankful my husband owns his mistakes and his past, and even more, I'm thankful he's living an authentic and pure life turned toward God.
     Recently we applied to adopt. I can see already it will be a journey that takes us back a few chapters in life. 
     On the application was a question: Have either of you ever been arrested? 
     It's possible if we answered no, nobody would ever know it was a lie. Because there isn't much of a record. Not much of a trail to follow. But we prayed about it, and decided honesty was best. It's what we preach to our kids, and we need to live it, too.
     A week after we submitted the application, the agency asked for more information about the arrest. A document, if one exists, from the arresting agency and an explanation from Dan. 
     What he wrote was so beautiful, I wanted to share it. Because so many of us have been where he was. So many of us have been rescued. And even more will want and need saving. I hope his words encourage you!

     Shortly after high school I found myself in a situation that many young people find themselves in. I had no idea what to do with my life, and not much ambition to find out. I had tried my hand in community college, but found out that not being a self-starter was not going to equal success at the college level. I soon found myself gravitating towards other kids in my community who were in the same frame of mind. I eventually took to drinking with them. On the evening on October 13, 1995, my friends and I decided to start our weekend off with some beers, before heading to another friends for a party. In our infinite teenaged wisdom, we decided to drink a few beers in my car while driving from one end of town to the other. We had no regard for others around us and made no attempt to hide our ridiculous illegal behavior. It was at this point that a concerned citizen who was witness to our actions called the police and then followed us until a squad car could pull us over. I was ticketed for multiple violations that evening. I wasn’t wearing my seat belt, I couldn’t find my insurance card, I was illegally consuming and transporting alcohol, and since I wasn’t 21, I was arrested for a Zero Tolerance violation. After the dust settled and I received help from a lawyer my mother worked for, I had every charge dismissed with the exception of the illegal transportation of alcohol. I was ticketed and fined $150, and given 6 months court supervision. I successfully completed the court supervision, and subsequently all record of my wrongdoing was expunged from my record.

Through this I feel I have learned a great many things. I have learned the importance of having a solid direction in life. I hope to pass on to my children a desire to do things well and completely, by trying to impart this trait into my kids I would hope to keep them from falling into the same habits I did out of high school.

I also have to admit that I spent a long time feeling anger at the concerned citizen who called the police on me that night. In the coming years I began to understand that the concerned citizen was actually a guardian angel. There is no telling what I may have done with my life had I not been caught in the act when I was. I could have hurt any number of people with my brazen disregard for the law. Now that I am a husband and a father, I can honestly say that I would do exactly the same thing if I were to witness this same senseless act. So through the years, I feel I learned to not only take responsibility for my actions but to forgive that person in my heart for calling the police.