For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37

Lillian Pennell was born in Abbeville County during the 1920’s. When she was a young adult, during an excursion Christmas shopping, she was injured in a car accident that left her a quadriplegic.

When I came to know Lil in Fishersville, Virginia, during my seminary internship, she had recently retired as the Director of the Presbytery Career Counseling Center, a position she held for 38 years.  In fact, she earned her master’s degree and doctorate degree after completing her rehabilitation from her accident.

When I asked Lil, those many years after her accident, how she was able to do and accomplish the things she was able to do, she said to me, “All of life is our Christian vocation, and every time someone told me I was not able to do something because of my disability, I set my mind on doing it.”

For Lil, nothing was impossible.  She knew that God had given her a unique perspective on life and faith, and she wanted others to know that we all are called by God to live up to our full potential. God can use our lives and gifts for a larger purpose—even doing the impossible at times when we wonder what may be next.

Thanks be to God for the life and witness of Dr. Lillian A. Pennell—an ordinary saint of my journey whose example lives on through her witness of faith.

Prayer: 
Thank you, God, for the ways in which you work your purposes through the circumstances which seem impossible. 

Rev. Robert Brozina 

About the Contributor

Reverend Robert H. Brozina is the Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church.