BEYOND OUR SORROWS

 



“There are some of your graces which would never be discovered

if it were not for your trials.”

C. H. Spurgeon

 

To survive calamities beyond human control, it takes God’s grace – His mercy.   What else can we call it?

Luck?

Co-incidence?

Whatever that is… Once we survive, Life still goes on, right? So, what does it take to make Life worthy of that Grace, Mercy, Luck, Coincidence, whatever that is?

On this Easter morning, I came across the story of Kechi Okwuchi. At 16, she was a school student in Nigeria. On 10th  December, 2005, she and 60 of her schoolmates were on their way home for Christmas. The Sololiso Airlines Flight-1145 had 109 passengers including five crew members, Kechi and her 60 schoolmates. Due to a terrible turbulence, the plane crashed while landing. Only two passengers survived… Kechi was one of them!

Kechi, in a state of coma, was airlifted, for immediate medical attention, to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, and, later, to a hospital in Houston, United States. With third-degree burns all over her body, she was handed with only 30% chance of survival. Kechi underwent over 100 reconstructive surgeries. And, she survived miraculously…

But, imagine the devastating impact this tragedy would leave on Kechi’s body, mind and spirit!

That’s why I asked: What does it take to make Life worthy of God’s grace or Mercy, once we survive such tragedies?

Kechi graduated from a university in Texas, securing a first-class degree, and standing first in her class. She was the student-speaker in her college Commencement-ceremony. Since then, she has been going around inspiring and motivating others to live life with courage, gratitude and purpose. I learnt about her when I chanced upon these videos, on this Easter morning:




 


We all are presently passing through one of toughest phases of our lives – Pandemic. You and I may have survived this calamity which was beyond our control. But, some among us were not lucky enough, just as those107 passengers (including her 60 schoolmates) on Kechi Okwuchi’s flight.

Well, now that we have survived… What we do with this fresh lease of life is up to us. Kechi, who was always fond of singing before the accident, found solace in singing her heart out during her protracted battle for survival. Through it, she let her mind divert from self-pity and sorrow to courage, gratitude and purpose…

Kechi had her family, particularly her mother, beside her through her struggle... Was that not a part of Grace?

A plane crash or a Pandemic… As  C. H. Spurgeon says, in Life, we would not be able to discover some of our graces if it were not for our trials.

 

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: Liam Ortiz

 

Videos: 1. Got Talent Global  2 Talent Recap

  

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