Learning to Love Yourself Again: Eli’s Story

When people think about recovery, they often think about quitting something. But the real work of recovery—the kind that changes a person from the inside out—goes much deeper.

Before he came to The Potter’s House, Eli was already trying to turn his life around. He was making YouTube devotionals and sharing Bible verses—trying to reach people, trying to reconnect with his faith. But something wasn’t right.

“At some point, the life that I’m actually living and what I’m putting out there are in conflict with one another,” he says. That inner conflict rooted itself in something deeper than behavior. It was rooted in grief, guilt, and a shame he hadn’t fully acknowledged yet.

Facing the Pain

Years earlier, Eli lost his brother in a sudden accident. Later, he experienced the loss of a child. Both events shook him. But instead of processing the pain, he buried it.

“Anytime these emotions and feelings would come rising up, I just kind of wanted to bury them,” he says. He began to drink for days at a time, disappearing into cycles of avoidance and regret. He knew what he believed, but couldn’t seem to live it. Even when his faith stirred him to action, he was still haunted by something. “I didn’t recognize it at the time as unresolved guilt and grief,” he recalls, “things that I hadn’t dealt with.”

He realized that something needed to change. He could talk about faith, forgiveness, even healing. But love himself? He hadn’t considered it. So he checked in to The Potter’s House.

The Work You Don’t See

At The Potter’s House, Eli began the slow, difficult work of introspection. It wasn’t flashy or fast, but for the first time, it was honest.

He started to unpack the shame that made it hard to accept love—from others, or from God. “There was this conflict between how I was living and what I was putting out there,” he says, “I wasn’t walking in what I believed.” He felt this disconnect so strongly that he became ashamed when anyone expressed love or appreciation for him.

But, as he attended classes and did the mental work at The Potter’s House, he started to see that recovery wasn’t just about changing behavior. It was about recovering his identity.

“The Potter’s House gives you every tool available… but it’s what you make of it,” He says, “You have to want it and you have to pursue it for yourself.”

And that is what he does now, every day in his recovery journey.

Why It Matters

Today, Eli teaches morning quiet-time classes for new residents at The Potter’s House. He talks to them about beginning the day with intention, about making space to meet with God, about staying grounded. He’s mentoring others and still healing himself.

But maybe the most powerful part of Eli’s story isn’t what he’s doing now—it’s who he’s becoming: someone who walks in the light, who tells the truth, and who finally knows he’s worth loving. “Now I can be honest, not just with myself, but with people I care about,” he says. And that honesty changes Eli’s path and purpose to something he can be excited about.

Join the Work

Eli’s story is one of many unfolding at The Potter’s House—stories that don’t just fight addiction, but confront the deeper wounds underneath it.

When you give to Atlanta Mission, you’re helping create the space where this kind of healing can happen. You’re investing in people, and their chance to finally be seen.

Give or volunteer today at atlantamission.org.

Thank you to our season sponsor, Scott Pryor Law Group