Meet Tara M.

My name is Tara M., and I am 46 years old. I was born in Columbus, Georgia, but grew up in Alabama as the youngest of two girls. For the most part I was an average kid who didn’t get into much trouble. When I was 17, just a senior in high school, my mother died from cancer. I was with her when she took her last breath. At that moment, my world crashed. Somehow, I managed to graduate high school and enroll in cosmetology school, which is where I was introduced to the party life.

I gradually went deeper into drinking and drugging – experimenting with every drug I could find. Before I knew it, I was in my thirties and addicted to meth, which became my drug of choice. During that time, I lived in a fog, going to work and family gatherings while high. I was generally under the influence no matter what I did. As soon as I woke up, I was doing some type of drug. Nothing could stop me – not even the fact that I was the mother of two young boys. I had also cycled through numerous abusive relationships with men, seeking the love I craved but never truly found.

My life was an up and down twist of one bad choice after another until eventually I had to get some help. Before coming to Gilgal, I tried several other programs that lasted six months at a time and were less structured.  But with no real success. I would have a little clean time, but before too long would relapse. This time around, I decided to try a Christ-centered program. I figured I didn’t have anything to lose. 

When my mom was alive, I had asked Jesus into my heart and even gotten baptized. Even though I walked away from Him as a teenager, I always knew deep down that He loved me and was always trying to get my attention – I just wasn’t listening. There are so many times, when I was in dangerous situations and with abusive men, that I know His angels were watching over me. I should have been dead but His love for me never wavered. Somehow, I knew He was always there.

Since being at Gilgal, I have grown closer to my Father in Heaven. He has opened my heart to another way of life filled with peace.  He’s broken so many of my destructive cycles and patterns. But most importantly I have found out what true love means.  The love that the Bible teaches about that never fails. I know now that it is only found in God. 

I’ll admit, I had a rocky start when I first got to Gilgal, and there were even times when I wanted to leave the program.  I am so thankful that I decided to stay. I have learned that I am worthy of love and a life of happiness and peace.  God brought me here and put me on a solid foundation to grow and learn. I am excited to wake up every day and learn important life skills. I am grateful for a deeper relationship with God.

I am working a full-time job, saving my money, maintaining a life of discipline and structure and am now a productive member of society. God is also restoring my relationships with my family and children. I also have grandchildren whom I hope to pass on valuable lessons to. I have come a long way and I thank God and Gilgal for helping me put my life back on track.  

Change Happens at Gilgal because His Love Never Fails.