I remember the first time I spoke with Dawn Ward, she shared how she had some really tough times with the addiction of two of her children. She was hesitant to become an “expert” on the subject, yet God had other plans. He has taken her experience of making it through the worst of it to encourage other moms to make the best of it. Never easy, Dawn can understand what happens when your children succumb to the lure of the high, the need for the fix. To pay the hope forward she wrote From Guilt to Grace because she gets it. She wouldn’t wish addiction on anyone. Dawn is the first guest in our Grief & Gratitude Series.

Dawn has been on the show before in We Weren’t Going to Have These Problems episode 208.

**You can give thanks in a situation vs. *for* the situation.**

— Dawn R. Ward

For the Benefit of Another

Thoughts from I Wouldn’t Wish Addiction on Anyone

I think the distinction Dawn made about giving thanks in a situation vs. for a situation is an important one. There are times when we are experiencing difficulty and we are tempted to say Why me? But maybe a better question is Why not me? So instead of fighting against the pain, against how hard it is, maybe there is something around to be thankful for. Did you wake up today? Are you breathing? Do your limbs appear to be working? Your heart beating? Do you have shelter? Clothes? Food? I know these seem almost ridiculously obvious but if you stop for a moment there really are things we can appreciate. I promise you there are people in the world who wish they had your problems.

It seems to me that if you survive, give yourself permission to carry on and thrive, you can put goodness out into the world. Through your hard times you can lift someone else up. I’ve often thought that if you could trace backwards the good that is being done in the world you would find it started with someone else’s pain. They took it and made the decision to help others.

Here are a few people that come quickly to mind:

Marcella Johnson - she started The Comfort Cub to help heal broken hearts after her baby died.

Tasreen Khamisa - works at the foundation TKF that bears her slain brother’s name bringing restorative practices to schools.

Bijou Mushengezi - a native of Congo, she founded Moseka Action Project to help educate the women and children there by giving them opportunities they don’t already have.

Sarah Harbut - wrote about breaking the cycle of generational domestic abuse in Less Fear More Fire and the hope that comes after.

Karen Hacker - is active in grief counseling after the death of her son, Matthew. She wrote a handbook on surviving grief in 8:28 Hope in the Darkness.

Amber Jean Parker - shares how she advocates for loved ones with PTSD, life-threatening disorders and how to Choose Joy in the Midst.

And of course there is Dawn who is this week’s guest writing From Guilt to Grace: Help and Healing for Christian Moms of Addicted Children.

While we would not have signed up for the hard stuff I think we can all see how it helps shape us, mold our character, stretch us to be better, to be more. And we can in turn be the change we want to see in the world, simply by taking our pain and turning into purpose. All for the benefit of another.