Althea

Fifteen years ago, I was lost in the dark

A wretch in a ditch with a shattered, cold heart

Trapped in the drugs, the sex, and the wine

Selling my soul, leaving goodness behind

I wouldn't be breathing or standing right here

If You hadn't rescued and drawn me so near

You snatched me right up and You made me Your child

You took the addictions, the reckless and wild

Now I love hard with the strength that You give

Because of You, Jesus, Althea can live

You gave me a heart for the broken and cold

A story of mercy that has to be told

You washed away all of the pain I had known

The men and the dealing, the seeds I had sown

And all that You left was this mouth that I use

Sometimes I get silly, but grace is the truth

Now I reach for the homeless, the kids on the street

I pour out Your kindness to all that I meet

You snatched me right up and You made me Your child

You took the addictions, the reckless and wild

Now I love hard with the strength that You give

Because of You, Jesus, Althea can live

You gave me a heart for the broken and cold

A story of mercy that has to be told

This world needs more love, it is desperate for grace

To look at the outcast and see Jesus' face

I know I have courage, I know I am strong

But You are the rock where my spirit belongs

I care for the ones who have nothing to hold

Because I remember the ditch and the cold

'Cause You snatched me right up and You made me Your child

You took the addictions, the reckless and wild

Now I love hard with the strength that You give

Because of You, Jesus, Althea can live

You gave me a heart for the broken and cold

A story of mercy that has to be told