I should be happy tonight. I just (safely) drove home from the doctor's office with dilated pupils. Why must hazel-eyed people suffer massive migraines after having a doctor blind their eyes with the brightest light in the world?? Just askin' you. I don't expect you to answer. To top that, the report was good. But still, the migraine...
Yesterday, I witnessed an incredible presentation from a young man who was born without arms or legs. And he was so happy. He had discovered his purpose.
And yet, I sit here tonight begrudging my headache. Pitiful.
I have tried to make this picture "extra-large" for you, because I don't want you to miss anything. I don't want you to think for a minute that this is fake.
He was 27 years old, born with no arms and legs, and he was very handsome.
His personality was radiant, tearing spirits from their comfortable seats, making them wish they were just like he was ... except not really ...
His insides were so beautiful, because he had found such a purpose in life. He takes nothing for granted now, though he tried to kill himself at age 8 ... tried to drown himself in the bathtub. He was being bullied every day at school.
But then in the midst of all that, trying to inhale the water in the tub, he suddenly thought of his parents who loved him so much.
His faith was like a brilliant light shining in a very dark place. We were at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. Soldiers, loved ones, human beings had gathered there on the National Day of Prayer.
The young man used his partial left foot that resembled a hand, and with which he has learned to type over 40 words a minute, to turn to Psalm 91 ... in case you haven't read that lately:
Psalm 91, NIV, Bible Gateway
...
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord,
“He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is
my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a
stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation. ”
Yes, under His wings, you will find refuge. Will He save me from my headaches, my anger, the intense pain in my husband's back, the bills I can't pay?
As I wallowed around in my self- pity, he was lifted onto the table where he "walked" back and forth, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. He said, "Don't give up on God. He hasn't given up on you."
You read that correctly ... with his PARTIAL LEFT 'FOOT' - that more resembled a malformed hand - he turned to the Holy Scriptures for comfort that many ... most in this lousy world ... turn away from, ignore, don't believe, doubt, scoff at ... he turned the pages in his Bible and read from Psalm 91.
"And under His wings, you will find refuge."
He invited the audience, the soldiers, all who where there ... to come and say hello afterward, give him a hug (which he couldn't return), and introduce themselves. They lined up. It was absolutely crazy. They lined up and hugged him. I stood back and took it in.
Poor me. I have a headache. I have financial problems. Poor me.
I wanted to include more pictures tonight, but the email is so slow and irritating. Poor me.
My house needs painting, I need my trees trimmed desperately, and a tree that has died needs to come down ... but I can't afford any of that right now. Poor me.
Poor me.
This young man so sees the bigger picture. He sees the miracle in himself. Despite what we may suffer, the limbs we may be born without ... or lose in wartime ... we are all miracles. We have purpose. We matter.
And we can find shelter ... in the shadow and under the wings ...
Want to see more? Go and watch this: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Nick+Vujicic&mid=58F014BD5776AB3C87A958F014BD5776AB3C87A9&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1
1 comment:
I knew who you were talking about right away. I've seen his videos before. His words have brought me to tears.
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