Into His glory

July 6, 2007

By Nancy Wozniak

“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5, NIV).

This Scripture has meant so much to me as I have experienced a journey no mother ever wants to travel. In 2002 I lost my beautiful daughter Kimberly to an overdose of drugs.

Between the years of 1998-2002 my family suffered much as we watched Kim’s life change. She had been attending college in Las Cruces, N.M., finishing her master’s degree in elementary education when someone offered her drugs and she accepted. Kim had been raised in a Christian home with parents who did their best to instill values to help her find her way in life with God beside.

Often our children make choices we do not understand. When this happens we try to analyze and frequently feel responsible for their mistakes, but God’s Word tells us in Proverbs 22:6 to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (NKJV). We did just that in our home. I had been journaling during those years of suffering and it did help me immensely cope with life.

After we lost Kim I wrote a book, Out of My Pain — Into His Glory, to share Kim’s story from birth through her death. She had so much going for her, so many talents. She sang like a canary, wrote beautiful poetry, and played the piano, as well as her accomplishments in earning her college degree. She always seemed so focused on planning her life. We were so proud of Kim and supported her in every way possible.

One thing I have learned from my loss, whatever happens in our lives is how we respond to it that determines the rest of our lives. After losing Kim I still wanted to be in church but I wanted to sit in the back in a corner so no one would look at me and see my pain.

My husband and I were both on the pastor’s prayer team at the time, and we had moved from the front of the church to our new location. For several months that is where we remained. Our teenage son was able to sit with friends in his usual place, but he seemed so sad. This was the year he would turn 18, and his sister would not be there to celebrate with him or see him graduate. It was heartbreaking.

After several months of occupying our place in the back of the church, one Sunday morning after service I was able to walk up to Pastor David Crispin and speak with him for a moment. He put his arm around my shoulder and asked how I was doing.

“You know Pastor Crispin,” I said, “I don’t know what God has for me to learn from this experience in my life, but whatever it is I do not want to miss it.”

Now I am in the fifth year since the loss of Kim and I have found that purpose. I have been speaking at churches, drug abuse awareness meetings, schools — anyplace I find the opportunity to share Kim’s story. God is blessing, and those who are suffering can see that we can take what Satan would try to use to destroy us and use it for God’s glory.

Nancy Wozniak resides in Alamogordo, N.M., with her husband, Ken, and son Kenny. Nancy is the author of Out of My Pain — Into His Glory and attends First Assembly of God in Alamogordo (David Crispin, pastor).