Indomitable

1n .  dom  .  i  .  ta  .  ble /adjective/ unconquerable, unbeatable, impregnable, unshakeable, incapable of being subdued

We are all  familiar with the  word indomitable, especially if we’ve read a lot of biography. The word is  used liberally in commencement speeches, and is  often  heard in stories about military exploits.   Its synonyms each begins with a  prefix that means “not,”  which suggests the idea of “not possible to be overcome.”  I recently gained a new appreciation for what it  means to have an  indomitable spirit.

I met Alla at the assisted living facility when a group of us went there to present the monthly program for the residents.  When I stopped to chat with her, she asked me, “Have you read my book?”  I hadn’t, I told her.  I used to go to the  facility  two Wednesdays each month to read to the residents, and I never met an author while there. However,  I smiled amicably and was receptive to hearing about her book. Right then she pulled  out her professionally done business card with a color picture of the book on the front, and on the back  all the details about how to purchase  a copy.

“You should read it,” Alla told me in her distinctive Slavic accent.  The lady had a knack for promotion. I promised I’d read the book.

The next time I went to the facility with our Sunshine Band,  Alla asked me, “Have you read my book?” I shamefacedly admitted I hadn’t. As one who sometimes has three books reading at a time, I hadn’t gotten around to reading hers, but I promised I would read it. When the time drew near for my next visit to the facility, I realized I’d have to face Alla. I secured a copy of  her book, started to read and was astounded. I set aside my other reading to delve into Deliverance, which I finished a few days ago and came away from my reading with a personally expanded meaning of the word indomitable that goes beyond dictionary synonyms to seeing it exhibited in a person.

Four-year-old Alla and her mother lived through the harshest times during World War ll. Their story began in their home country of the Ukraine, which came under communist domination. Young Alla and her mother suffered atrocities in their own homeland by the invading army. They went from one military camp to another, involuntarily being sent from their home country to Germany to Sweden and back to Germany, all the while living under the threat of torture and imminent death, yet all the while encountering  miracles. The accounts of Alla’s  childhood experiences  dramatize the desperate conditions  created by the horrors of war.

This is not a review of the book. What I do wish to convey is that Deliverance gave me an up-close  understanding of what it means to be a refugee from a war-torn country, living in squalor, privation, and fear day after day.  Even after the enemy had been vanquished and the Allied forces had rescued thousands that included Alla and her mother, her father having perished in a concentration camp, their suffering did not end.  Liberation by the Allied forces didn’t mean restoration of the enjoyable life the family had before the war. It simply meant exchanging  life in an oppressive  forced labor camp for living in burned out buildings and going without food.

At present, according to the United Nations,  there are 10 official wars and 8 active military conflicts taking place on our planet, wars not limited to Syria and Afghanistan.  Suffering abounds in refugee camps in different parts of the world where thousands live under intolerable conditions, having been driven from their home countries because of war.  An indomitable will propels large numbers of these refugees to risk their lives, as Alla and her mother did, to reach safety and freedom.

As I have said, indomitable is a well-known word, and  millions have exhibited an indomitable spirit. Perhaps you are reading this post with an I-know-all-about-it feeling. Combating poor health, or overcoming poverty to  get an education, or finding a satisfying career and making a success of life may have called for an indomitable spirit on your part.  To succeed at anything, we need commitment, and commitment when doggedly followed through to its fulfilment takes an indomitable will. The Apostle Paul gives us the formula for that kind of spirit. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  There is power in Him and in His Word.

Alla had  an almost inborn  confidence in divine leading, even as early as when she was 4 years old, and this confidence  increased throughout her years of suffering. The indomitable spirit doesn’t come automatically. It can be blocked by discouragement, blaming others, or feeling sorry for one’s self. None of these negative behaviors was found in Alla or in her mother. They believed in fighting.  With faith in God and a made-up mind, we can demonstrate  the fighting spirit needed to  surmount our obstacles.

Blessings,

Judith

*****

“Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.”
William Ellery Channing