By y
Sydnee Brashears
L
ike a sudden storm on the
sky, tragedy can strike
without warning. For
David Wood, the structure of his adolescent
faith could not stand up to the storm, and
the boy sought relief in the abyss of substance
abuse. It’s been a long road, and he’s needed
a lot of help from both his family and God to
climb out of the pit, but the rain has ceased,
and his story has not only inspired those in
the United States but across the world.
It began with a trio of deaths that occurred
within David’s teenage years. First, his
girlfriend was killed in a car accident. After
that, his friend’s younger sister lost her fight
with leukemia. Finally, his friend fell into
a coma and did not recover. These three
deaths devastated young David, and instead
of turning to those who could help him cope
with his grief, he masked his pain and turned
to a quick fix: alchohol.
It was a slow fade from alcohol to drugs. Pain
and fear overwhelmed David, and he lost his
way with the Lord, questioning unanswered
prayers and the unjustified deaths of those
close to him. The cracked foundation of
prayer that had begun in his youth had
shattered, and all he wanted was to numb
the grief. He found a community with his
friends, but there was no hope there. As he
dug himself deeper, he lost control just to
feel normal. “For those of you who work out,”
David states, “you hit a plateau, and you’ve
gotta add more weight on.
Beauty from Ashes:
DAVID WOOD’S TESTIMONY
s
summer s
with
struc
faith could not stand u
Photoshoot in Naxos Greece to launch new projects.
38 McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2020