Be Thou My Vision: The Hymn That Gave Me Strength While Dealing With a Relative's Drug Addiction

Back a few years ago, a relative of mine was struggling with substance abuse. No, I should really say it like it was: He was a drug addict. Every night I was afraid I would get THE call, and that the person on the other end of the phone would tell me he was dead. This had been going on for a few years but worsened as time went on until it had gotten life threatening. I had trouble sleeping. I cried a lot. I prayed a lot. I cleaned my house a lot because if I sat down, I would start thinking, or crying, again. He was struggling with his belief in God, so NA ( Narcotics Anonymous) was no help to him because you need to believe in a higher power, and at that time in his life, he did not. I went to Naranon meetings ( like Alanon but it was for families and friends of drug addicts instead of alcoholics). The Naranon meetings helped me a lot, Naranon is like Alanon, but instead of dealing with family members and friends of alcoholics, it's for friends and family members of drug addicts. It's a place you can go and let your guard down and be uplifted by other members of the group who are also experiencing the same thing as you are, because of someone with a drug addiction. Unfortunately, when I left the Naranon meetings and tried to sleep at night after I got home, I would still sometimes be gripped with fear.

One Sunday I went to new church. This church was more modern than mine.My church is a very traditional Baptist church. At the time, I was searching for something different. This new church had the words of hymns as we sang them shown on a screen down in the front of the church. It had a band down there too that led the singing. This was definitely not what I was used to, but I was intrigued. When this song started, I recognized it immediately, but never really paid attention to the words like I did that day. They jumped out from the screen at me, and straight into my heart. As I sang them, tears trickled out of my eyes and down my face. I could tell that God was letting me know He was in control, and that if He was my vision, and the one true thing I kept my eyes on, then it would be alright.I went home and looked up the words to this hymn on the internet. I printed them off and carried them to work with me. I posted them on the bulletin board above my desk, so I would see them every day, and be reminded that God is in control,

The words of this hymn still touch me today every time I hear them. I have included the words and video below. May they offer peace and reassurance to you, as they did to me, and still do.

There are many other hymns out there that give people strength. For some reason, this one has touched my heart more than most. It reminds me to stay focused on God in spite of the trials and tribulations of my everyday life! Please take the poll below and if your favorite hymn is not listed, leave it in the comment section.

Epilogue: 


My relative is doing much better now.He finally put himself into a rehab program. But it's  always "one day at a time"  
as the saying goes. This song 
still warms my soul and gives me strength every time I hear it. 

If you are not one who finds that hymns help you through hard times, but prefer the written word in the form of Bible verses, I am including a list of Bible verses that may help give you support. These verses are listed in the front of the Bible, The Way. One of my favorite Bibles is called The Way, The Living Bible. It was published in 1972 and I was given this Bible as a gift when I was a teenager. What I like about this Bible is that it simplifies what the King James Bible says. Although I prefer the King James Bible because I think it's the closest to the original translation of the Bible, The Way helps me understand Old English in a way I can better understand.

• Psalm 23: When you are tired
• Hebrews 12: When you are hurting
• Joshua 1, Ephesian 6, Hebrews 13 When you need courage
• Luke 6 When You are feeling lonely
• 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Corinthians 5: When you think about death
• Psalm 27, 91, 121, 139 When you are afraid
• James 5, Mark 1 - 3: When you are sick

I hope these suggestions help you when you are struggling in life.