Transformed Life
The Alice Springs city engineer in central Australia Eric
Johnston was able to hide his alcoholism and depression, but not
his life threatening illness brought on by being permanently
inebriated. In the city's hospital in July 1976 the doctors told
him he had a week to live and that he should go home to die.
There was nothing more they could do for him.
He contacted his former wife, June, in Adelaide, and said he
wanted to see her and their five children at the airport and say
goodbye. She met him but without their children. He was angry
but fading fast. She gave him a book: Merlin Carruthers
"From Power to Praise."
"1 knew that if she gave me a book that in the first
three pages there would be a reference to alcoholism and God.
There was. I boarded my aircraft to fly to my hometown of
Melbourne to die. I threw the book on the seat opposite but not
before I read that God can change anyone's circumstances."
"1 checked into a cheap unit in Melbourne. I was
desperate and believed that the bed I was about to lie down in
would be my last. I had attempted suicide. Alcoholism and
depression had almost killed me. That day, the 19th of July was
my 47th birthday. The doctors had told me that I was finished.
They were not able to lower the alcohol level in my blood and I
was dying of alcoholic poisoning. My response was 'Thank God,
this will all be over."
"I felt I had nothing left in the
world. My life had been a tale of failures. When you drink you
have no conscience. I just didn't care what I had been doing
to other people."
"1 had attempted suicide with a knife and a miracle
happened. Someone came up behind me and hit my arm knocking the
knife out the window. I was so drunk that I had no recollection
of anything else except finding myself in the police lock-up. I
was charged with attempted suicide. [At that time it was a
chargeable offence, whereas today people are offered care not
jail.]
"The local magistrate may well have had a similar
problem and was sympathetic. My case was held in camera. I was a
very sick man and hadn't been sober for four years. He asked
whether I would do it again and when I told him no, dismissed
the case. That brought on the break-up of my second
marriage..."
But 30 years of alcoholism and misuse of prescription drugs
had taken its toll.
"1 used to start at 4am and begin drinking myself to
oblivion. Alcoholism was the main reason for my marriage
break-ups. I was rebellious as a child, although I had attended
Sunday school. But I must point out one important thing. I have
a dear relative, Salvation Army Officer Brigadier Emily Day...in
1960 she had started to pray for me every day. I told her once;
'Don't waste your time on me..' For 16 years she prayed
faithfully for me.
"There is the key for salvation, never give up praying
for the lost. I love her dearly for her faithfulness."
Eric was born in Melbourne in 1929. Had traumatic life with
multiple problems. At nine months he contracted TB and 65 years
ago that was a notifiable disease and sufferers then were not
released until dead. He defied the odds and survived. He
attended a Methodist Sunday School. He had problems learning at
school as he suffered from dyslexia and was classified as lazy.
He became a very rebellious young man. He found his solace in
alcohol.
"But here I was sick and dying in 1976. There was no
indication that I would live more than a week. I continued to
drink even in hospital getting people to smuggle in more
grog...but in my cheap hotel in Melbourne I began to realise a
very important thing. I knew I was going to hell unless I could
get my sins forgiven. I began reading that book and found a
statement that said I could come to God as I was."
"You must understand that I hadn't had a drink since 3
o'clock that afternoon. Quite a long time for me, six or seven
hours...I began to see that God accepted me. This was a real
revelation. I had attempted to reach God in my strength and it
had never worked."
"1 was a very unsavoury person...I was bleeding
internally and was losing control of my bowels. I got out and
knelt at the side of the bed. For some reason the Lord started
to bring past my memory all the filthy things I'd done. This
went back to the earliest recollections. I knew I had to be
clean and I had to repent...I started naming names I thought I
had forgotten. I kept getting in and out of bed to confess more
things...
"By 5am the next morning I knew I had a cleansing that I
could not explain. I knew I was thoroughly born again. The
mattress at which I had knelt was absolutely saturated with my
tears of repentance. On that night I had two birthdays; my 47th
and my newbirth coming into the Kingdom.
"The next miracle was that I awoke at 7am and I felt
absolutely fresh. I had no desire to drink and I went to the
toilet and there was no blood. The Lord had chosen to graciously
perform a miracle. I now knew that Jesus was my saviour."
"1 had said that if Jesus would heal me, I would do
whatever I could for him for the rest of my life. I still
thought that I may only have three days of life left because my
internal bleeding had been so serious. I laughed at the Lord and
said 'You've only got three days and here I am working for him
20 years later and the Lord is still laughing,"
"1 was transformed and delivered. I
walked past a hotel shortly afterwards and stopped. I could
hear the sounds of the pub, the smell of familiarity and I
looked up to God outside and I gave him my alcoholism. People
walking past thought I was mad...I have never had a drink
since."
Eric still had some important issues to face including greed
after money and lust. But the Lord has worked these through in
his life. He remarried his first wife June in February 1977; the
first time they married was without God, the second with God as
their strength. In 1978 both gave their lives for service with
the Salvation Army.
"1 followed David's example and said as in Psalm 51
which begins; 'Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my
transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my
sin.' and I accept that as Romans 12 verse 2 says that I no
longer conform to this world, 'but I am transformed by the
renewing of your mind...'
"1 have found that God answers my prayers for help when
I beg. While I knew in 1976 I was forgiven I still had all of my
negative characteristics. It has taken many years to have these
changed. God's word has been my answer. but I have had to find
them."
Eric and June work in Adelaide with a rehabilitation program
providing support and counselling for people suffering alcohol
and drug related problems. Eric knows that he caused a lot of
damage when an alcoholic and even today longs to be reconciled
to all of his children. He finds that a difficult burden to
carry, but it helps him understand the needs of others when
counselling.
"1 weep inside for my children...and I can share the
burden with those who suffer as I did. But I know now that God
has given me life and life more abundantly and he has given the
song in my heart for the 20 years that I never expected to have.
He is a great God."
Eric Johnston is a current member of the FGBMFI Adelaide
North Chapter, having joined in February 1992.
Article reprinted from Australian Voice
magazine Number 6
