What do parents do when, despite trying to do everything right, find their child has become a drug addict? Terry and Linda found themselves in that situation when their daughter became addicted to pain medication for migraines, which led to addictions with street drugs that went on for 15 years. Terry and Linda also ended up raising their grandchild while friends were enjoying their empty nest years.

Terry and Linda are the guests this week on the Shaping Families radio program from Third Way Media. Earlier they appeared in the TV documentary, Finding Hope in Recovery: Families Living with Addiction. Their story was one of learning to love their daughter without enabling her addiction. “Even though we have faith and we love her and we want to have a Christ-like attitude, we still can’t enable our child to do destructive things to her life.”  Through many relapses and difficult decisions, Terry and Linda provide support for other families going through the same thing and want churches to be places where people can talk about these issues without feeling judged.

Shaping Families radio program airs each weekend on 17 local radio stations and online at www.ShapingFamilies.com. Also featured at the website is a weekly blog by host Burton Buller, a weekly recipe from Shaping Families staff and contributors, a study guide useable by small groups and Sunday school classes and many additional resources.  Shaping Families is produced by Third Way Media through Mennonite Mission Network.