Defiant Hope: Another Ride To Remember
You meet people perhaps everyday depending on what activities you engage in on a daily basis. However, only few of these people leave a lasting impression on you or even activate that sense of closeness to God that you have in your heart that makes you see God in your life in areas where you probably perpetually take for granted.
It was a rather quiet and cool evening in Colorado Springs today after a couple of days of unstable weather characterized by baseball-sized hail and up to 100 mph gusts of wind that have caused some serious damage and even killed some animals at the zoo. It was time to head home and I ordered a Lyft ride which came rather early. My driver was Robin; a rather cheerful lady who seemed as glad as I was about the nice weather we had (which served conveniently as an icebreaker). We got to talking about education and career paths. She told me about how she acquired a Masters degree in communication but it seemed irrelevant now that social media and texting have taken the place of meaningful interpersonal communication.
She went on to tell me of some experiences she had in her life that have played a significant role in who she has become and how God has been at the helm, seeing her through every step of the way. She told me of how she lost one of her legs as a teenager and for someone who was quite active; skydiving and doing other daring things, it was quite devastating, battled Hepatitis C from a transfusion mishap and her doctor told her she had run out of options and had to accept her fate. This was coupled with the fact that she was suffering from end-stage liver disease. She fasted and prayed about the situation and was miraculously cured of hepatitis. The amazing thing about all of this is she never let any of that stop her and regardless of the fact that her doctor said she had about three years, its been about seven years now and she got a revelation that her healing is coming in the seventh year. She specifically said she deliberately chose not to focus on the things she couldn’t do but instead, focus on those things she’s able to do and get them done. This really resonated in my mind. It made me conscious of how much I’ve been taking for granted while complaining and worrying about a whole lot.
Robin’s strength comes mainly from her hope that is strengthened constantly and steadily by her consciousness of God’s Presence with her. It is that light that shines out in the darkness that undoubtedly pushes it out. We prayed together briefly and there was no doubt that something lit up in both of us- her hope further strengthened by the word of her testimony and my sense of awareness of God’s undying love and a determination to let myself always be reminded. I really can’t wait to read her books as soon as they get published.