One Overcomer; the Other Out for Blood
At 44 Women for Orangewood’s scholarship drive in Newport Beach, California, I heard a captivating talk by a former captive. Elizabeth Smart, 31, author of My Story and Where There’s Hope, was kidnapped at age 14 from her idyllic life in Salt Lake City by a deranged man and woman. Controlled by the couple, she was rendered homeless as well as repeatedly raped and assaulted, until rescued by the astute observations of the public. When in a rare moment she emerged into public view, a mother of seven saw the couple acting suspicious around her. Policemen who approached her realized she was being victimized and fear held her back from even saying her own name. Inner voices and threats in her head, placed there by kidnappers, paralyzed her. They’d said repercussions and punishments would fall on her and her family if she cried out to claim her identity. Her recovery story is one of overcoming through love, faith, family, music, recreation, and animal therapy. Similarly, how often do fearful, doubtful voices in our own head hold us hostage so we scarcely escape from self-imposed bondage— to say our own names loud and clear to join our loved ones and our own life purpose? What voices constrain us and how can we move toward health?
On the flip side, Elizabeth Holmes, 35, entrepreneur and founder of Theranos, the Silicon Valley start-up, falsely claiming to revitalize lab testing with unlikely small volumes of blood using a finger prick, is worth approximately $4.5 billion bilked from the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger, and others. Now she appropriately faces criminal charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Yet, as so often in today’s gilt (gold-covered) but not guilt-covered culture, the defendant gleefully runs around San Francisco with new hotel heir-husband, maintaining her innocence. Will our legal system, bogged down in 20 million plus pages of case evidence, protect the public’s health and welfare, or allow the charlatan to run unfettered? How can victimizers of business investors and health-customers be detected earlier and fairly reprimanded? Will the courts convict her of fraud or release her?
Truthfully, who is the one more emulated in today’s society– Elizabeth Smart, victimized overcomer, or Elizabeth Holmes, billionaire victimizer? Dare we hope justice will prevail?
Thoughts on Overcoming Difficulties
Determination not Denial
Determination: I am God’s loved child
His banner over me is love
Forgetting the past and pressing forward even with disability and discouragement
Loving myself, others– and God’s purpose for me
Not Denial: Weakness, brokenness exists
It is God’s strength that’s made perfect in weakness
Forgiveness is giving up hope of a better past
Confession and reclamation bring spiritual power to the equation
