My Review of Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith by Amy Bovaird

A few months ago, a dear writing colleague, Amy Bovaird, asked me if I would be willing to read a copy of her novel, Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith.

I don’t have a lot of spare time on my hands, but something about Amy’s struggle (which, in my opinion, doubles as a gift… but I’ll get to that) intrigued me. I truly desired to read her novel, so of course I gladly made time to do it. Honestly, I’m so very glad that I did. It was worth every second, and I plan to read it again when it’s officially published. You should too, and I’ll tell you why.

Mobility Matters brought tears to my eyes more than once. Mere moments later, the same chapter would have me smiling and laughing through my sobs. Amy writes in a way that makes you feel every single emotion she felt through her issues, and I fell in love with her lifelike characters. I’m not joking when I say that I felt like I knew them. I even got downright angry at some of “my” new friends from time to time. Other moments, I wanted to hug them. It wasn’t until I finished reading the novel that I realized Amy’s characters weren’t actually my friends, and I’ve missed them ever since.

Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith begins with the story of the aforementioned struggle Amy deals with on a daily basis. How could she deal with Retinitis Pigmentosa and all the challenges that came with it? How could she possibly survive her diagnosis without losing her hope? As my eyes trailed intently down the first several pages, I found myself seriously doubting anyone’s ability to do it. Little did I know at this point, although I was reading about Amy’s vision impairment, I was the one who was completely, totally, absolutely (…and hypothetically) blind.

Before long, Amy realizes—and I realized, too—that her struggle was nothing she couldn’t conquer. Does that mean it wasn’t a challenge? No. It simply means that with God, Amy is stronger than anything this world can throw at her. Amy turns her struggle into a strength throughout the course of this beautifully written novel. We can all take a lesson by watching her rise to the occasion. To me, that’s the faith and hope I found while reading each page.

Mobility Matters is moving, touching, and unexplainably life changing. I found myself growing in strength, faith and hope while reading about Amy’s own trust in The Lord. If she can overcome her struggles, I can overcome mine. Although I was sad to finish reading Mobility Matters, I was a better person on the last page than I had been on the first.

That’s why I’m calling Amy’s struggle a gift. We see the injustices of the world and wonder why God would allow something so sad to happen to such good people, but I know why Amy was blessed with her struggle. I truly believe that the hearts of many will be changed just by witnessing Amy’s extraordinary life. The Lord never gives us more than we can handle. It just so happens that Amy Bovaird can handle a lot. As a matter of fact, she can handle so much that she can even use Retinitis Pigmentosa as a gift to bring people closer to Christ, rather than the struggle it would be for most.

I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to read Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith, no matter where you are on your journey through life. As you learn about Amy’s vision impairment, you’ll indeed find that perhaps we’re all a little more blind than we even knew. Don’t worry; you’ll see life much more clearly by the last page. No bifocals needed!