Joy In Hardship - In Life And In My Fiction

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I want to share a story about finding joy in hardship. Decades ago, I was traveling through Scotland with a friend from university in her father’s little Austin Mini Cooper. I remember visiting one of her aunts in a small village. The names of both the aunt and the village, escape me now, but I vividly remember, my encounter with that woman.
At the time, she was wheelchair-bound, totally dependent on a carer and seriously restricted in all her movements. Yet apart from her sunny smile, what I remember most about that lady was her cheerfulness and her interest in us, particularly in me whom she had just met.
Instead of talking about herself, with genuine interest, she asked me all about my life and my dreams. She seemed to take great joy in ‘living’ life vicariously. I learnt afterwards that she loved talking to young people – they seemed to make her happy.
I only spent one afternoon with that lady, but she made an indelible impression on me. Her little house, her surroundings and her own person seemed to breathe joy. How wonderful to spread joy around like that. What a special gift that is!
Closer to home and much closer to me, someone whom I would like to honour, discretely without using her name, is my cousin.
A few years ago, she was walking across a road, the robot was green and in her favour. Suddenly, and without warning, she was hit by a taxi - forcibly thrown up into the air and landing on her head. Everyone thought she was going to die, in fact it’s an absolute miracle that she survived!
She lost a great deal of blood, broke a few bones and lost most of her basic bodily functions due to trauma to her brain. But the Lord had a plan for her, and miraculously she survived.
After many months of therapy which stretched into years, she gradually learned to talk and walk again. She even had to relearn basic bodily functions, like going to the toilet. Slowly, one step at a time, she clawed her way back to wellness … not complete health, sadly, because her brain function is still impaired and she cannot ‘find’ her words. But how she loves to spread joy all around her, in particular the love of the Lord.
She goes to schools and prays with needy students, draws pictures for them and puts on little ‘dramas’. In everything she does, the love of the Lord is clearly evident in her life.
What a testament to the verse, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8, v.10). She can’t even read the Bible for herself, as words are difficult for her, but her whole life is a powerful example of how to find joy in hardship.
I salute her perseverance, her courage, and especially, her joy in the Lord. She is completely uninhibited, she laughs at herself and like Paul, she doesn’t think twice about becoming a “fool for Christ”.
Drawing inspiration from this amazing woman, I’ve included a character in my fiction who doesn’t seem to mind being just such a fool for Christ.
In my story, ‘The Best Friend in the World’ which appears in Shine, my short story anthology for younger teens, Tasha cannot understand why Sam, who is a refugee, is always smiling. It’s not as if people are nice to him; in fact, they are positively nasty. Egged on by Silas, the class bully, Sam is isolated, side-lined and scorned. Despite all the emotional abuse he is subjected to, and the last straw when Silas tears his carefully painted picture of his home town, badly damaging it, Sam continues to be cheerful and nice to his enemies.
It is only right at the end of the story that Tasha discovers the secret of his smile: he has ‘the best friend in the world’ ... which is how this story got its title.
Jade is another character in my fiction ‘Jade’s Heaven Dream’ from Tapestries.
Set during the time of the pandemic, Jade finds a way to spread joy while everyone in her town seems to be absolutely miserable. People are worried and no-one is smiling anymore.
One night, Jade has a vivid dream about heaven, and the next day she enthusiastically captures her vision in a brightly coloured picture. Her mum is so impressed with the picture that she takes it to work and makes dozens of colour copies which Jade and her mum then distribute to as many homes as they can in the town. Their mission is to get as many people as possible thinking about the joy of heaven.
So whether in real life or in fiction, it is wonderful to spread a little joy around, especially in the midst of hardship.
"The joy of the Lord is my strength”
Nehemiah 8, v. 10