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A STORY IN OVERCOMING SEVERE CHALLENGES
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By Renett Grové, Johannesburg, South Africa

Recently I celebrated my 41st birthday. I had such a wonderful day and I spent time in prayer thanking God for all I have to be thankful for. I fell asleep during the praying and when I awoke I realised I had spent about half an hour listing all I am grateful for before I had fallen asleep yet I was not even ten percent of the way through the list. I never thought I would have 41 years to learn the lessons in this physical garment because since childhood I was told my life expectancy was very short. I have been physically challenged since infancy due to a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which is a progressive neuro-muscular disease. I experienced rapid degeneration in childhood and have lived my entire life from a wheelchair, and for the past year, mostly from my bed. I have lived a fulfilled and productive life. Through God's mercy, I have never looked at what I do not have but have found it more productive to focus on what I do have. I have worked in telesales and marketing since the age of 15 and for the past 15 years I have been privileged to be involved in developing and presenting motivation, telephone and general communication training courses for companies and work-seekers. Early last year it became obvious that I had developed an additional serious neurological problem. My face and upper body went into severe spasms - almost convulsions - and I was hospitalised for most of the year. Although I now spend the majority of my time in bed, I am still able to enjoy the blessing of Worship through work and my life is very full and satisfying.
I accepted the Bahá'í Faith in 1992 and found in the Baha'i Writings confirmation of the outlook and techniques that have often assisted me through difficult days. I also found in the Baha'i Writings a great deal of inspiration and encouragement especially with regards to the age we are living in and how through the love, knowledge and worship of God we can be assisted on the journey to detachment and understanding this physical realm. I have had times in my life when the burden of battling through every day has felt as if it is too hard to bear and will crush me. Now, however, not only do I experience "the peace that passes all understanding" but I have a joy that just bubbles, and bubbles out of me. This has happened, I believe because friends carried me through "a dark night of the soul" wrapped in prayer and love. I pray when I am in pain, when fears of future or guilt from the past enters my mind or when loneliness and longing for the dear ones who have departed this physical garment takes over me. I recite the Greatest Name when I have no words to offer and my thoughts are jumbled through over-medication or distress. I recite the Long Healing Prayer often as well as the Tablet of Ahmad and try to say as many times a week as possible the two prayers that contain the words "Armed with the power of Thy Name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me" and "Send down upon me as a token of Thy Grace, Thy vitalising breezes throughout the daytime and in the night season, O Lord of bounty." It has also become very clear to me that God has provided tools for us to be able to teach, serve the Cause and participate fully in the Baha'i Community even when physical circumstances threaten to isolate us. I would gladly share more about this with anyone who wishes to write to me at: rgrove@global.co.za
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"Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility." (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 363)