She had been sexually abused by her father and brothers, diagnosed an alcoholic at sixteen, and had been continually involved in the use of drugs. The message she had heard all of her life was that she was trash. When you hear that long enough, you believe it. And what do you do with trash? You dispose of it. That was what she was trying to do with her own life - dispose of herself in one way or another.
One night she came in drunk, and another night she was high on drugs. By the third of fourth night she had taken some lethal combination of pills, and she had to be rushed to some medical emergency center.
Dr Schaeffer had been out of the country lecturing. He returned that night, exhausted after a long trip. But when he discovered what serious trouble she was in, he immediately went to her and stayed by her side for many hours that night. When she finally returned to the room the next day, the look on her face was almost impossible to describe. She looked at me with eyes as wide as saucers, and she said, "Becky, he didn't get mad at me for breaking the all the rules here. He held my hand. And he begged me to
give God a chance. He had tears in his eyes when he heard all the junk that had happened to me. He cared so much for my pain. but he told me over and over, "Please just
give God a chance. He loves you. He can help you. Don't lose hope." I told him, "I have no hope. It's been beaten out of me." And he said, "I understand. Than hang on to my hope. Lean on
my faith till you have your own. Trust my hope for what God can do in your life. Just please
give God a chance."
