“Legion”
Christie Griffith, knows what it is to be a woman of hope by the grace of God. In Mark 5:1-20 there is a story of a man named Legion, he calls himself that because he is filled with oppressive spirits, and Christ comes and sets him free so that he can go and share with others of his transformation by God’s amazing power. Christie shares that this is a passage that is symbolic of her life. A life of transformation by God’s grace to go out and share God’s glory through a message of grace, hope, longsuffering alongside woman and children who need it. She says, “God isn’t looking for finished pieces to show his work, he is looking for those who can share in the tears, the dirty knees, and the all between.
Christie knows what it means to face homelessness. As a child she was homeless due to a dysfunctional family. Her dad was not around, and her mom wasn’t able to protect her in the way she needed. Christie faced physical and sexual abuse. By her teen years she was drinking, cutting, had suicide attempts. By her adult years she was fully addicted to crack cocaine. By God’s grace her life turned around.
She had three beautiful children and she had started to participate in a group called Celebrate Recovery. This recovery meant working through the pain and sin. After a while Christie began to take on leadership roles for recovery groups. She also pursued work in mental health.
Christie said, “My life reminded me of Legion, there were so many past demons to slay, but with God’s help, I began to slay them one at a time.
Homelessness is a ministry Christie has enjoyed working in a long time. As a child she was homeless and then when she was a young woman with her young children she repeated the cycle as she had seen in her childhood. She became a young woman who was homeless with her children. However, with God’s help she broke the cycle, and she wants to help others do the same.
Today Christie is a Woman of Hope, bringing hope to woman who are walking in her shoes. She is a light and helping to set free woman who need to know they can slay their demons with God one issue at a time. She is our Director of Family Services. She is bringing hope here at Acres.