As a young child, I can remember when we heard our name called in school, we were instructed to say, present. God is taking attendance in this hour and he is looking to see if we are in our positions. Are you AWOL, absent without leave? Have you abandoned your post spiritually and perhaps even naturally? Sometimes we can be present physically but we have checked out in other ways. We must return to our first love that is Christ and start over again and sometimes all it takes to start over is just to be present. However, sometimes life can throw you a curve ball and cause you to become so broken that being present becomes the miracle.
On January 26, 2020, the world was shaken not by Coronavirus but by the sudden and extremely tragic death of legendary NBA player Kobie Bryant and not just him but his daughter and several others. It wasn’t supposed to be this way and while the world was grieving him and his daughter, his wife and children would have to find the strength to live on without them both. In an interview with People magazine, it tells how the world was mourning, Vanesa still had to stay present for her other three daughters.
I can only imagine the weights not only on her shoulders but her heart. It wasn’t just about her loss, but she had to now be able to comfort them while she also was grieving. The work that Kobie had already started would suffer and all of those that depended on it if she was not able to keep it together and be present. The article shares how she was able to take charge of his unfinished projects at Granity Studios and how she relaunched his non-for profit Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, as a tribute to both Kobie and her daughter. This organization will help empower young girls and other underserved athletes which was one of his greatest visions. People magazine states. “All the while, Vanessa showed breathe taking resilience and grace as she navigated heartache while staying present for her daughters.” I believe this has been one of her biggest challenges.
I have lost both my children’s fathers to rare forms of cancer. I can only imagine her grief because her youngest two daughters are very small. Although, her loved ones were not sick, they were abruptly lost in a moment without warning. I still understand and can empathize with her pain. I remember a day in my life that the weights and cares of this world I was carrying were so great, I didn’t think I was going to make it. It was so difficult for me just to get up because of depression. I was struggling as a single mom. When my husband walked out and left me with my three sons, the youngest was 9 months old. I was a wreck and yet was required to stay present because they were depending on me. After just 3 years of our divorce, he died of a rare form of cancer. I had to keep going. You must keep going. Others are depending on you.
And when my daughter lost her father a few years ago at two, she was consistently asking for him. It is a place that you must trust God to heal you and them so that the other things in your life don’t fall by the wayside. God wants to heal your heart if you will continue to press and stay present in the moment. There are others that are depending on you and this is a defining moment for you. Find hope and joy which is your strength in the beauty of the things that you have left and are surrounded by. Don’t allow the bitterness of this past season to make you check out and refuse to be comforted. Learn from Vanessa Bryant, myself and others that have experienced the same loss. Let us draw strength and remember that God is the same God yesterday, today and forever.