Although Australian Christian motivational speaker Nick Vujicic is without limbs, he lives his life with hope and joy because of God’s love that has inspired him. This past weekend, he shared the miracle of his life to over 40,000 people who crowded the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Nick was born on December 4th, 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without limbs. His parents were both Christians and his Dad was a Pastor of his church. The entire church mourned over his birth and his parents were devastated. “If God is a God of love,” they questioned, “Then why would He let something like this happen, and especially to committed Christians?” Nick’s father did not think that Nick would survive for very long. But, tests proved that he was a healthy baby boy, but without any limbs.
In his early years in school, Nick encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because of his physical difference. In spite of this, with the support of his parents, he started to develop attitudes and values which helped him overcome these challenging times. Though he knew he was different, on the inside, he was just like everyone else. There were times that he felt so low that he wouldn’t go to school in order to avoid all the negative attention. With encouragements from his parents, he began to ignore the bullies and tried to make friends by just talking with some of the kids. Soon the students realized that he was just like them.
Many times, Nick felt depressed and angry because he couldn’t change the way he was, or blame anyone for that matter. In Sunday school, he learned that God loves us all and that He cares for us deeply. But he could not help but question God’s love for him because of the way he is. He wondered if he’d done something wrong and began toe feel certain that it must be true. Otherwise, God wouldn’t have made him the only weird one out of all the kids at school. At a young age, he wanted to end his pain and life. Yet, his parents and family were always there to comfort him and lend him their strength.
Because of emotional struggles he had experienced with bullying, self-esteem and loneliness, God began to instill a passion of sharing his story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they might have in their lives. He realized his purpose is to turn his struggles into something that would glorify God and bless others. As he grew older, he learned that he shouldn’t take things for granted. At age 12, he realized how much God has blessed him. His little foot served him well. He said that God has freely given him so much with his loving family and so many other blessings. He realized “Why should I still complain?” God directed him to Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him.” This verse gave him the conviction that there’s no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence and that these “bad” things happen in our life to make us more like Christ.
At age 25, Nick has completed a Bachelor’s Degree in both Financial Planning and Accounting. Also, he’s an active motivational speaker. Nick said that many think that their goals are too far-fetched, but he believes that if you have the desire and passion to do something, and it’s within God’s will, you will achieve it in good time. As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason at all! What's worse is putting limits on God, who is well able to do all things! We put God in a "box". The awesome thing about the power of God is that if we want to do something for God, we must refocus. Instead of concentrating on our capability, our attention needs to shift to our availability. For, the Word of God is clear; it is God working through us. Without Him, we aren’t capable of doing anything on our own. Once we make ourselves available for God's work, guess whose capabilities we rely on? God's! Philippians 4:13 highlights this point well, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God has a truly great purpose for your life!
As far as your unanswered prayers, remember that God is Faithful. What are we to do when we are seeking but not finding? Jeremiah 29:12 states, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord.
Besides holding the two evangelism conference, Nick will also go to the nearby prison to encourage the criminals and then go to Sichuan to visit the earthquake orphans. He said that the most severe form of handicap is not without limbs, but it is a life without hope.
[Source: Lifewithoutlimbs.org]
