Gabi Fincher. Simply upon reading the name, some of you are already smiling or chuckling; I know. I am too. If memories of John the Rabbit or ISS punishment aren’t flooding your mind, you probably have never met Gabi. And man, it is important to me that everyone has the opportunity to hear the story of Gabi Fincher, the gal who sees life like no one else.

The first thing to know is that the previous sentence is a play on words because Gabi is legally blind, due to a brain tumor. But just because this is the first aspect of Gabi that I choose to describe, does not mean it is her defining aspect. Her vision loss and other physical disabilities are not something to be pitied or politely danced around. The disability can’t be changed, but it can be appreciated as another beautiful aspect of her life that God will use to touch those around her. In fact, one of those aspects of Gabi that makes her who she is: she doesn’t want your pity (unless it’s in the form of exemption from the standard of wearing a bra, a free chicken strip, or a ride so she has to walk less distance). As a future special educator, one feature of the job that I am constantly challenged by is the reaction of people without disabilities towards those with disabilities… The lack of awareness/respect that you see in some people is actually appalling. But Gabi don’t care. She takes all interaction as an opportunity to love.

Which is why were put on this earth, is it not?

So let me give some more Gabi back-story, so that those who don’t know her can understand why I want all readers to apply the lifestyle of Gabi to themselves.

1. Gabi worships by swinging her arms around, slapping herself, and pounding her fists like she is about to fight, even if the rest of the church isn't even so much as tapping a foot

2. One time Gabi didn't talk to me for four hours straight because I made her walk 50 feet, instead of calling her a ride.

3. The girl assigns punishments like it's her job:

• You told her to drink water instead of coke? ISS FOR A WEEK.
• You ask her to brush her hair? NO CHOCOLATE MILK. ONLY WHITE.
• You don’t have time to go to the snow cone drive thru? SPRAYING YOU WITH ICE COLD WATER.

4. Gabi cares about you more than you know.

• If you are hurt or sad in anyway she is going to drop everything and pray for you (even if you are a stranger with a paper cut).

5. One time when I was in the seventh grade, Gabi heard a baby doll crying and asked me to stop and pray over it- a moment that I consider very pivotal for my faith

“Yo manda, that’s weird” --the thought that some of you had upon reading number 5. Trust me, I am well acquainted with cynical human tendencies, so that thought doesn’t offend me. But for those that had that thought, and also for those that did not, let me explain why this was a pivotal moment, and, furthermore, why knowing Gabi has truly changed my faith and my life. Two words: Blind. Faith. This is not me trying to make some offensive play on words, but a true description of an underrated aspect of relationship with God which Gabi showed me.

Blind Faith:

Actions that aren’t based on reason (or what you can see), with no guarantee of reward or return.

Seventh Grade: The year that I was taught how to love blindly. It doesn’t matter if it’s even a slightly creepy inanimate object; never miss an opportunity to love someone who is hurting (see previously posted article). Here is the thing about blind faith: it is socially terrifying. Blind faith is losing that nagging social awareness and gaining full spiritual awareness. Blind faith is losing dependence on the comfortable outcome. Gabi lives blind faith in the way that she cares for others with no self consideration, and Gabi lives blind faith in the way she worships in a (slightly terrifying but) completely abandoned way, despite the opinion of others. Fun fact: two words that are rarely used together are epic and comfortable. Like wow, those parachute straps digging into my free falling body sure were comfortable. Wow, that power nap today sure was epic (okay bad example because I am a firm advocator of the power of a good nap). But you get what I mean. No one wants his or her Christian walk to be described as comfortable. But actions of blind faith… that’s epic.

Quick question: Can you list all the things you have complained about today on less than one hand? Probably not; I’ll go on a limb and say that I can list five complaining thoughts you have had in the past hour: campus parking, “starving”, terrible radio stations, rude people, and oh yeah, campus parking. Repetition intended. And these are the thoughts of someone who most likely has their vision and normal cognitive levels. I have come to love Gabi complaining about wearing a bra and Gabi complaining about not having that fifty-fourth refill of Coke, that I previously referenced to. These innocent complaints truly humble my “quick to victimize myself” mindset. A reality about human nature: we love pity. What if we were as concerned for others as we want them to be for us? When we love with all elements of “self” removed, we learn to love others more and their attention/pity less. So yes, in case you haven’t picked up on it yet, blindly loving is synonymous with selflessly loving, which is a lifestyle with little visible return. There’s a lot of Bible verses I could slip in now to make my writing appear more ~spiritual~. I won’t , but you can use that handy google app if you’d like. Here’s what I will say: Jesus’ actions rarely made social sense, and we all know the return He received. In fact, He knew what return he would receive even before He traveled on the “Selfless Love Tour” with His band, the disciples, and His groupies, the people who needed healing. Obviously, despite the lack of a promise of reward for this selfless faith, He maintained “the show must go on” mindset. Cool. I think it’s about time we kicked off our tour of blind faith.

Last thing:

I have 3 challenges for the readers who find inspiration in Gabi’s lifestyle.

• Go pray for a stranger.
• Minimize complaining about yourself and maximize investment in the well-being of others.
• Worship the Lord without worry of your appearance to others.

These challenges are the first steps to an epic lifestyle rooted in passionate, blind faith, which, if we are being honest, is the only way to live life.