Triumph

Dana Bowman was a Special Forces soldier and a member of the U.S. Army's elite parachute team, the Golden Knights. In 1984 a mid air collision cost him both of his legs. It was a jump that had been practiced many times successfully, where he and his partner were to free fall and then cross in mid air, before parachutes were opened. With arms spread, they approached each other, but a sudden move drew them too close and the one arm of his partner crossed both of Dana's legs severing them on impact. For each of them were traveling at 120 miles an hour and the force of impact resulted in tradegy. His partner died immediately and Dana's chute opened upon impact and he fell unconsciously to the ground landing in a parking lot, alive but fatally wounded. Dana was the keynote speaker at National Freight convention that Mel and I attended in Phoenix this past week. And he was wonderful.

Dressed in his army uniform with many metals decorating the chest of his garment, Dana stood tall in strength, poise, gracefulness, and commitment and professed proof in his motto, "It is not the disability, it is ability". It was hard to get past watching him standing on that stage with two prosthetic legs, one below the knee and one above, but he not only was balanced in stature but also in his perspective of life. He had not allowed this disability to stop him, only to detour him, and challenge him for life after a tragic accident. His determination, perseverance, and tenacity has allowed this man to turn his tragedy into triumph, and promote hope and encouragement to the hundreds and thousands who hear his message and witness his continued feat of sky diving.

Many of you too have been hit hard with situations of tragedy. And the onslaught of loss, sadness, pain and grief have overwhelmed your very being. I have not experienced the emotions in degrees as many of you have but I do however recognize the impact of being hit by an unexpected blow. Dana Bowman's was one of those off the chart hell hits, and I suspect that many could not comprehend the reality that he would be able to take this tragedy and turn it into triumph. And I suspect that sometimes each of you are in that very same position. Wondering how are we ever going to be able to mold the very thing that has disabled us into an enabling triumph. And you know what, we can't achieve that triumph alone. Iy is only through the strength, power and grace of God , and others walking beside us that we can. It begins with desire. A true and deepened desire to get up and get through the state of darkness that is hovering over us. It may appear that there is no way out or through but with God there is always hope. His strength and power are his enabling agents offered to any of us who call on his name.

Dana Bowman's story is one of courage, and a mindset to forge forward in spite of the tragic odds that have been placed before him. We too are faced with odds that are many times overwhelming, but God can and will give us the courage to
forge ahead, to accept life detours as challenges and realize that God allows and uses our trials to mold our character and bring us to a dependence upon Christ and not on ourselves.

What do you see when you look back on your life? How have you grown? What lessons have you learned? What have you overcome? What trials have been turned into triumph? Have you practiced life using God's given tools of courage, wisdom, strength and faith? How have you changed? Do you have God's target in your sights? All questions that give us measure as to how we are negotiating life.

If we are to land on target, Christ's target, then we have to be prepared and seek to find his way. It takes practice and even with practice, there will still be collisions that are caused by unforeseen dangers. But God will prevail, and so will we when we
stay focused on his word and his way. Dana's message was one of hope: 1) Hope for the despondent, 2) courage for the timid, and 3) strength for the weak. It doesn't matter how broken we are, how beaten up we may be, or bleak our situation my be, God can and will give us the hope, courage, and strength to forge forth in his might and his power if only we will have a desire that is deep within our soul to embrace our trials and let God bring us to triumph.


Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Dear Lord, Thank you for your gracious spirit of lifting us to your heights in spite of the winds that have blown us off course. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!


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