At some point as we journey through life, we will find ourselves buried by our own baggage, stripped bare at the muddy, craggy bottom of The Ditch. Most people know what it's like to struggle through life's long valleys, but The Ditch is different. The Ditch is a place we don't want to end up, but in some cruel twist of fate, we do. Maybe it's through our own fault. Maybe it's not. For some, The Ditch may be a scary diagnosis. A job loss. Maybe it's a run-in with the law, a poor decision that spawns others and traps you in a cycle of addiction. And sometimes it's vague. Sometimes, it's just one too many hard knocks from life.
The Ditch will break us, but in that brokenness lies the potential for raw and radical transformation.
The Man in The Ditch is a story about undeserved privilege, unlimited potential, hard work, and hustle. A story about self-inflicted wounds, hubris, insecurity, shame, and abandonment. A story, ultimately, about the Operation of Divine Grace that manifests itself as unapologetic joy.
And while this is a story told by a lawyer, father, husband, and practicing Catholic, it is a story for all of us. A story that teaches us that our darkest moments don't define us, but have the power to radically change us for the worse or for the better.
Do we stay stuck in darkness, or do we overcome it? And once we overcome it, how do we emerge? Bitter and beaten down, or a stronger, better version of ourselves?
The choice is ours.