Rep. Greg Pence
GREENFIELD – Greg Pence stood in Hancock County Circuit Court before a group of people improving their lives from times that haven’t gone right.
The member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana’s Sixth District noted the universal nature of facing struggles.
“I will tell you my life hasn’t always been perfect,” he told his audience, “it hasn’t always gone right.”
But faith and people who care about him helped him get through those times, he said. He encouraged the participants in the addiction recovery program sitting in front of him to use similar strategies in overcoming their own challenges.
Pence was speaking last Friday at the county’s drug court, which meets regularly to give participants an opportunity to talk about their recoveries and interact with members of the justice system, who offer encouragement and praise for their progress.
“I’ve had some big failures,” Pence said, recalling how he worked for a company that went bankrupt. “I didn’t go bankrupt, but I lost everything, and I had kids going to school, and I had to start all over again, and I didn’t know how I would do it.”
He remembered his daughter asking him how he’d help pay for her college education.
“And I said, ‘Don’t worry, the good lord will take care of us,’ and he did, and he has, and things got better for us,” Pence said. “That was way back in 2004, and I never lost hope. And it was along the way – people that loved me and supported me actually helped me get through those times, and I’m closer to those people now because they just stood by me, and they were there for me in those times, and I’ll never forget them.”
Drug court participants have the same kind of supportive people in their lives, he said, referring to members of the justice system who help make the program possible.
“This is a work of love that they actually do,” he said. “You might not like what they say, you might not like how they say it, but I know it’s not an easy job.”
Pence encouraged drug court participants to find faith in a higher power, whatever that means to them, and Circuit Court Judge Scott Sirk agreed.
“I think that’s an essential,” Sirk told participants. “…Your lives are a great gift. You have great potential, no matter what the struggles are.”
When asked what participants could do if they lack a strong foundation of family and friends for support, Pence encouraged joining some kind of faith-based organization.
“That’s been an integral part of my life all my life,” said Pence, who studied theology as an undergrad.
He was also asked if his faith ever faltered during tough times.
“Of course it did,” he said. “But that’s where the hope comes in. “…And I’m going to tell you – at 66 years old, U.S. congressman – it did. God never gave me more than I could handle. … My hope was always rewarded.”
