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December
11
Today I
spent the better part of the day talking with Vera about her life.I had known Vera for several months, but today was the first
time she allowed me a gaze at her soul.
Like
so many women who grew up under Communism, Vera has been disappointed and lied
to far more times than she could count. She is a hardened woman; her hardness
of spirit is not difficult to see. But today she admitted it and somehow in
this confession, she softened.
This
is how she summarized her life:
“The only way of survival was to count on no
one; to trust no one. Under the old Communist system, anyone could betray you.
So, I grew up suspicious of everything and everyone. My only hope was in my
husband and our son. Unfortunately, my husband died a few years ago and now my
son, who has married a spiteful young woman, will not speak with me.” I could hardly believe my
eyes as this strong woman began to painfully weep before me.
“What
keeps you going?” I
asked.
“I don’t know. I do love to teach my language to people like you and
your friends.”
She
also recounted how when her granddaughter was born sick (though she rarely got
to see her), she knew she could count on us to pray.
“I couldn’t believe how
you prayed for her and within a day the doctors said she was surprisingly well
and could go home. If your Lord could help my granddaughter I had hope that he
might heal my painful loneliness, too,” she replied.
As
I walked home that night I was amazed at how God was bringing hope to Vera,
even in the midst of her pain. I’m beginning to hope that he might heal me,
too.
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