Beautiful Boy by David Sheff.  
 
The book is a well written non-Christian, non-fiction New York Times Bestseller about a father's journey through his son's addiction to methamphetamine.  Anyone who has ever been addicted or known a person addicted to crystal meth shares many of the questions that haunt David: where did things go wrong?  How did this happen to his son, an intelligent honor student, caring brother and varsity athlete?  Not that theses are questions unique to methamphetamine.  Any addiction has the power to leave us lifelessly wondering, "how?"  But methamphetamine is especially powerful.  There is a poem on the streets titled "Crystal Meth."  One of the lines reads, "Just try me once, and I might let you go.  But if you try me twice, then I'll own your soul."  Another line, "You'll give up everything, your family your home.  Your money, your friends, you'll be all alone.  I'll take them and I'll take until you've no more to give.  When I'm finished with you, you'll be lucky to live."  It ends, "Now that you met me, what will you do?  Will you try me or not, it's all up to you.  I can show you more misery than words can tell; come take my hands, let me lead you to hell!"
 
To the many heart wrenching pages in this book I offer three basic reflections: first, the author identifies and admits, at least partially, one of the roots of his son's behavior is connected to the divorce between he and his wife when his son was a young boy.  Life is hard enough in a loving family with two parents faithful to each other and committed to the children.  Lethal damage occurs in a family when a husband and wife break a lifelong covenant before God to each other.  There is no easy way to divorce.  It's not part of God's program for any family.  Second, when we choose to disobey God, we absolutely lose our authority to tell our children not to make the same choice.  "Son, I used drugs, but believe me, trust me, you don't want to try them."  Think about it.  A son respects his dad and wants to be like him.  "Dad used drugs...and he turned out successful...I can too."  Other moral choices are no different.  I have to make the choices I want my children to make!  Finally, we are stewards of our children.  They are not ours, but Gods.  David's son's addiction becomes an addiction for him.  He is obsessed by it.  Love is almost portrayed as control.  I strive to be the best parent I can, but my greatest confidence my children will turn out to be God followers is not my exceptional parenting or control over my children, but God's place in their lives.  I take great hope in God's grace, especially after a day when I feel like I've failed as a parent.  When our children engage in self-destructive behavior, the loving answer is not control, but an infusion of God's grace, which begins with a reality check: God is ultimately responsible for His children.  And He alone is capable of performing the necessary heart surgery that will keep them from crystal meth or any other lethal drug or addiction.  "God, please make my children Yours.  Amen."    

Ps.  If you're interested in this book, you may be intersted in the son's follow-up book, another New York Times Bestseller, Tweak: Growing up on Crystal Methby Nic Sheff.

Joel Thurston