Admiring the indomitable human spirit

By Ellen Shuck

What does the word indomitable mean? I was driven to look the definition up as I watched a man, Cal, face one difficulty after another. I looked for a word that would describe the awesome spirit I saw displayed within him. I found the meaning of the word indomitable to mean: to never give up or admit they have been defeated, strong, brave and impossible to defeat, or make frightened (Collins dictionary). "Oh my," I thought, "Cal fits that description perfectly."

Then I mulled that meaning around in my head uncovering numerous insights concerning how much of which the human spirit is capable. I thought of the various people of whom I possessed immense respect. They were people of whom I failed to see how they survived the trauma, and discontent that came into their lives. "How do they keep on going," I asked myself. Many had lost spouses after watching them endure heartbreaking conditions. Others had lost all their possessions, their faith in God, and reason for living. Yet those individuals kept going. One could never tell by looking on their outside demeanor that anything sad oR difficult was happening in their lives.

I wondered from where did they acquire the glue that held them together, the energy they were required to possess, and the willingness and endurance they were forced to have. Wow, it was amazing to me how mere, ordinary people could handle such hardships that life forced upon them. I believe that we, all have the ability to be indomitable if we continue facing what we must and pressing on. God will give us divine power to meet those seeming insurmountable circumstances.

Cal's plate was so full, I could not see or understand how he so bravely faced one obstacle, then another. He had one son, Melvin who had just entered a prestigious college. As Melvin tried to fit into the new surroundings, many of his dreams seemingly turned to dust before his eyes. One coveted prize, in particular, brought Melvin much grief. As he attempted to go through the arduous requirements of a college fraternity, he incurred much harsher demands than he expected. He became increasingly discouraged, almost to the point of not completing the initiation of the fraternity. Melvin turned to his dad, Cal, with his woes. Cal listened patiently and gave him all the encouragement he could from a distance.

Cal's whole family had also recently moved to a new location and they were experiencing difficulties connected with the move. Cal received and placed numerous phone calls concerning the move, again, from a distance.

For the sake of convenience, Cal's teenage daughter, Lucy, was forced into changing schools. After convincing Lucy she would fit right in, the girl eagerly began classes. Much to Cal and his wife's dismay, Lucy found that she was somewhat behind, and she felt overwhelmed and discouraged. This was another challenge Cal was forced to deal with. He called Lucy and encouraged her to continue on, and provided her with other advice and love, again from a distance.

I haven't touched on all the challenges with which Cal was dealing, while on his visit with relatives, and consequently, I wondered, from where did the courage and stamina he exhibited come?

I found the answer to my question in the Scripture, 2nd Corinthians 4: 7-10. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Those who trust entirely in God have the tendency to keep bouncing back from every insurmountable situation, even persecution.