From raver to rescued: how God found me at my lowest

As a teenager Lisa Marie Cavey was getting high at illegal raves while quietly carrying a childhood faith she never truly lived out. What followed was years of addiction, double living and despair — until, at her very lowest point, God met her with a mercy that changed everything.

The first time I got high on ecstasy I was 15 years old and at an illegal rave in London underneath some railway arches. I could barely stand up I was so dizzy. I sat down on the dirty ground and watched everyone dance. As the music boomed I turned my head to the man sitting next to me and asked innocently “how did they get carpet in here?” He looked at me in disbelief – “it’s not carpet”. I looked down at my palms that I had been rubbing all over the ground. They were covered in dirt. I was too high to care.

I started going to church at eight years old and invited Jesus into my heart not long after. Looking back now, I can see that wanting to follow Jesus and actually following him are two completely different things. As a teenager and for most of my twenties I was more interested in partying and living my life my way than surrendering it all for Christ. It was like I had to learn the hard way, my way was not the best way. God’s way is better. Unfortunately learning the hard way meant becoming trapped in the very lifestyle I had created for myself and not knowing how to get out.