When Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs, his parents were shocked and grieved. They were concerned about how he could ever grow up to be independent. They were devout Christians yet wondered why God would allow such a thing to happen.
Nick wondered the same thing as he got older.
I have to confess, I wondered the same thing. Even with as much comfort and reassurance I've received studying God's reasons for allowing suffering, and as much as I have come to trust His character and will, thinking of a person growing up in this condition was hard to come to grips with.
Maybe that's why I had Nick's book, Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life, on the shelf for so long without picking it up. It was one we had bought for my husband's mother. I remember her saying her tears were streaming as she read this, and she felt she had nothing to complain about after reading this book.
Recently, I saw several Facebook posts from friends about a young wife and mother they knew who ended up in the hospital with several severe infections. The doctor said her condition was a 10 out of 10 on the scale of a serious illness. The treatment reduced blood flow to her limbs, which resulted in amputation of both arms and legs. She's been in the hospital since December.
As my heart went out to this family and I've been praying for them, I decided to pick up Nick's book to see how he dealt with his situation.
After his parents' initial shock, they strove to give him as normal a life as possible. He was a determined little boy and found ways to do most things he wanted to do.
However, school was a different story. His family wanted him to attend regular classes rather than special-needs classes. He faced the cruel remarks of some of his classmates, which was depressing. He was even suicidal at one point until his father encouraged him.
Nick found that often he had to be the one to reach out to make people feel comfortable approaching him. That and a good sense of humor helped people to see he was just a regular guy on the inside.
Discussions with others about how he coped with no limbs led to speaking to student, church, and youth organizations. In the years since, speaking became Nick's vocation and ministry, not only in his native Australia, but around the world.
This book is part memoir, part motivational encouragement. He does include Christian principles but also a lot of secular motivation (love yourself, etc.).
Some of the quotes that stood out to me:
Experiences like that helped me realize that being "different" just might help me contribute something special to the world. I found that people were willing to listen to me speak because they had only to look at me to know I'd faced and overcome my challenges. I did not lack credibility. Instinctively, people felt I might have something to say that could help them with their own problems (pp. 20-21).
As difficult as it might be to live without limbs, my life still had value to be shared. There was nothing I lacked that would prevent me from making a difference in the world. My joy would be to encourage and inspire others. Even if I didn't change this planet as much as I would like, I'd still know with certainty that my life would not be wasted. I was and am still determined to make a contribution (p. 24).
Often the very challenges that we think are holding us back are, in fact, making us stronger. You should be open to the possibility that today's handicap might be tomorrow's advantage (pp. 43-44).
Nick was encouraged by the man who was born blind in John 2. The disciples asked Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus responded, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."
This book was published in 2010. Since then, Nick has gotten married, had four children, written more books and traveled and spoken to even more people.
I appreciated Nick's attitude and willingness to help and encourage others.
You might be interested in this piece about Nick on Australia's 60 Minutes program:
(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)
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