Grow On

Ingeborg Syllm-Rapoport was born to Protestant parents in 1912 and grew up in Hamburg, Germany.

Her upbringing was relatively typical of the time and place – except that she broke gender norms by attending college and then medical school at the University of Hamburg.

She focused her studies on diphtheria and was in pursuit of a Ph.D.

Then Nazi Germany happened.

Though her parents were both devout Christians, her maternal grandparents were Jewish and that, according to the Nazi regime, made Syllm-Rapoport of mixed race and not truly Aryan.

Professor Rudolf Degkwitz of the University of Hamburg conceded, in 1938, that Syllm-Rapoport’s doctoral thesis would have been accepted and approved had it not been for the Nazis’ race laws which prohibited anyone of Jewish decent to receive a doctoral degree.

Syllm-Rapoport fled to America where she married. She received an M.D. and practiced medicine until she and her husband returned in Germany in 1952.

Nearly seventy-five years after she first submitted her research, the dean of the University of Hamburg, Dr. Uwe Koch-Gromus, gave Syllm-Rapoport a chance to defend her thesis.

In 2015, at the age of 102, she did. 

Her mind was still sharp, and she had not wavered in passion for her subject. She passed with flying colors and became the world’s oldest recipient of a Ph.D.

There is so much I want to do. There is so much I want to accomplish. I have dreams – lots of them.

But – more importantly – I think I have God-given dreams. I believe He has a purpose for me.

I believe He has a purpose for you, too.

I don’t know how long it will take to do all that God created you to do. But if you still have a beating heart you’re not quite done.

Keep going. Keep learning. Keep discovering more of what God created you to be and do.

Grow on.

Six Words

William Borden was the heir to an enormous family fortune. When he graduated from high school in 1904, his parents sent him on a trip through Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The experience changed William profoundly. The pain and suffering he saw compelled him to give his life to missionary work.

His family and friends couldn’t believe that he would “throw himself away as a missionary.” But, he was determined. In the back of his Bible, he wrote, “No reserves.”

William returned to the States and began taking courses at Yale. It was evident to everyone that he was different. His faith surpassed that of his classmates. He once invited a friend to meet him each morning for prayer and Bible study. Within four years, it had led to over a thousand students meeting daily in study groups.

After graduating from college, Borden was offered a number of high-paying jobs He turned them down. He went instead to Princeton Seminary to prepare for the mission field.

He wrote two more words in his Bible. “No retreats.”

When he finished his studies at Princeton, he set off to China. He hoped to work with Muslims and, so, he stopped first in Egypt to study Arabic. There, he contracted spinal meningitis and, a month later, William Borden was dead at the age of 25.

The news was cabled back to the United States and, as Borden’s biographer, Mary Taylor, wrote, “A wave of sorrow went round the world… Borden not only gave (away) his wealth, but himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it (seemed) a privilege rather than a sacrifice.”

His Bible was recovered. He had written two other words underneath “No reserves” and “No retreats.”

“No regrets.”

Six words. Three resolutions. One purpose.

What would happen if we all could live with such a determined and clear purpose?

Die Walking

One of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read is "The Lost City of Z," by David Grann. It tells of British explorer Percy Fawcett’s epic search in the early 1900s for the legendary city of Z, supposedly buried deep in the Amazon.

On one particularly treacherous venture into the jungle, Fawcett's exploration party ran out of food and, after days of trekking on empty stomachs, soon grew weak with hunger. More susceptible than ever to disease and infection, many developed severe fevers. Any hope of getting out alive, much less finding Z, began to deteriorate.

One of the men, unable to take another step under the weight of sickness and exhaustion, collapsed against a tree and begged Fawcett to leave him to die.

"No," said Fawcett. "If we die, we'll die walking."

If we die, we'll die walking.

Most of us will never explore the Amazon (though if you happen to be planning a trip, please take me with you). We probably won't ever face starvation or risk contracting malaria. The obstacles we face will be of a different sort.

But make no mistake. We will face obstacles.

We will face cancer and heart attacks and dementia.

We will experience layoffs and financial strains.

We will lose people we love.

When my earthly life expires and I stand before my God, I want to be able to say that I gave it everything I had. I trusted Him through the trials. I stayed faithful in the challenges. I didn't collapse in the difficulties.

I want to die walking.

How about you?