Being Nick Vujicic
If u read the star papers 2 days back you’ll be able to stumble upon the write-up on Nick Vujicic. He’s been around town during the easter week for motivational talks in churches. Here is his testimonial. Lenghty but worth reading.
From
Life Without Limbs
To Life Without LIMITS!
Born without limbs, Nick Vujicic proved that a man can
turn a life without limbs into a life without limits. If the size of a man’s
capacity lies in his heart and spirit, then Nick is a giant of a man! He is
persistent, captivating and enthralling. At age 15, he gave his life to Jesus
Christ and things have never been the same again. Nick is highly independent
and with only a seven-inch left foot, he is able to type 45 words a minute,
write, walk, swim, comb his hair, brush his teeth, and take care of personal
needs. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Planning and
Accounting and is a financial counselor. As a public speaker today, Nick
travels the globe to challenge everyone to live a life of victory in spite of
any adverse circumstances. Grown men have wept after hearing his story. Young
people who had contemplated suicide repented after being challenged by Nick’s
enthusiasm for life.
Nick’s personal testimony
A Remarkable Story of God’s Grace
It says in James 1:2 - "Consider it pure joy, my
Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
…To count our hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but pure
joy? As my parents were Christians, and my Dad even a Pastor of our church,
they knew that verse very well. However, on the morning of the 4th of December
1982 in Melbourne (Australia), the last two words on the minds of my parents
was "Praise God!". Their firstborn son had been born without limbs!
There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. The doctors we
shocked and had no answers at all! There is still no medical reason why this
had happened and Nick now has a Brother and Sister who were born just like any
other baby.
The whole church mourned
over my birth and my parents were absolutely devastated. Everyone asked,
"if God is a God of Love, then why would God let something this bad happen
to not just anyone, but dedicated Christians?" My Dad thought I wouldn’t
survive for very long, but tests proved that I was a healthy baby boy just with
a few limbs missing.
Understandably, my parents had strong concern and evident fears of
what kind of life I’d be able to lead. The first biggest hurdle was for my
parents to be at peace and trusting that God was in control. It took a number
of months of tears, questions and grief before that complete overtook their
hearts. God provided them strength, wisdom and courage through those early
years and soon after that I was old enough to go to school.
There are a few people who assume that because of my physical
disability that it meant that I’d also be mentally disabled. The law in
Australia didn’t allow me to be integrated into a main-stream school because of
my physical disability. God did miracles and gave my Mom the strength to fight
for the law to be changed. I was one of the first disabled students to be
integrated into a main-stream school.
I liked going to school, and just try to
live life like everyone else, but it was in my early years of school where I
encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because
of my physical difference. It was very hard for me to get used to, but with the
support of my parents, I started to develop attitudes and values which helped
me overcome these challenging times. I knew that I was different but on the
inside I was just like everyone else. There were many times when I felt so low
that I wouldn’t go to school just so I didn’t have to face all the negative
attention. I was encouraged by my parents to ignore them and to try start
making friends by just talking with some kids. Soon the students realized that
I was just like them, and starting there God kept on blessing me with new
friends.
There were times when I felt depressed
and angry because I couldn’t change the way I was, or blame anyone for that
matter. I went to Sunday School and learnt that God loves us all and that He
cares for you. I understood that love to a point as a child, but I didn’t
understand that if God loved me why did He make me like this? Is it because I
did something wrong? I thought I must have because out of all the kids at
school, I’m the only weird one. I felt like I was a burden to those around me
and the sooner I go, the better it’d be for everyone. I wanted to end my pain
and end my life at a young age, but I am thankful once again, for my parents
and family who were always there to comfort me and give me strength.
Due to my emotional
struggles I had experienced with bullying, self esteem and loneliness, God has
implanted a passion of sharing my story and experiences to help others cope
with whatever challenge they have in their life and let God turn it into a
blessing. To encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential
and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams.
As I grew older God continued to prepare
my heart and teach me to seek Him. One of the first lessons that I have learnt
was not to take things for granted. I had that wake up call around the age of
twelve and realised just how much I was blessed with. I take my foot for
granted, my family and the fact that I wasn’t born in a third world country all
blessings that God had freely given and I still complain? I came
across;
Romans 8:28 - "And we
know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him."
That verse spoke to my heart and
convicted me to the point where that I know that there is no such thing as
luck, chance or coincidence that these "bad" things happen in our
life. In;
James 1:3&4 - "…know
that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance
must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything."
I had complete peace knowing that God
won’t let anything happen to us in our life unless He has a good purpose for it
all. I completely gave my life to Christ at the age of fifteen after reading
John 9. Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was "so that the
works of God may be revealed through Him." I truly believed that God would
heal me so I could be a great testimony of His Awesome Power. Later on I was
given the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something, if it’s God’s
will, it’ll happen in His time. If it’s not God’s will for it to happen, then I
know that He has something better. I now see that Glory revealed as He is using
me just the way I am and in ways others can’t be used.
I am now twenty-one years old and have
completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Financial Planning and Accounting.
I am also a motivational speaker and love to go out and share my story and
testimony wherever opportunities become available. I have developed talks to
relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge today’s
teenagers. I am also a speaker in the corporate sector.
In recent years, I have learnt to become
independent and can now take care of all my personal needs. I can do everything
from brushing my teeth, combing my hair, dressing up, taking care of my
personal hygiene and even shaving. I get around the house by jumpin’ around
and, outside the house, I get around in an electric wheelchair. I love to swim,
fish and play soccer. I have a passion for reaching out to youth and keep
myself available for whatever God wants me to do, and wherever He leads, I
follow.
I have many dreams and goals that I have
set to achieve in my life. I want to become the best witness I can be of God’s
Love and Hope, to become an international inspirational speaker and be used as
a vessel in both Christian and non-Christian venues. I want to become
financially independent by the age of 25, through real estate investments, to
modify a car for me to drive and to be interviewed and share my story on the
"Oprah Winfrey Show"! Writing several best-selling books has been one
of my dreams and I hope to finish writing my first by the end of the year. It
will be called "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!"
You might think these goals are too
far-fetched. However, I believe that if you have the desire and passion to do
something, and if it’s 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 can 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, instead of focusing on our capability, concentrate on our availability
for we know that it is God through us and we can’t do anything without Him.
Once we make ourselves available for God’s work, guess whose capabilities we
rely on? God’s!
"I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
God has a 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 - "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…
Take courage my friend for the Battle is
the Lord’s and I urge you to keep striving for the truth. For it is the truth
that will set you free and the Peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will reign in your heart. May the Lord Bless you as you diligently seek Him and
grant you Godly Wisdom and Strength through your journey.
In Christ,
Nick Vujicic
To find out more about Nick
and his ministry, visit www.lifewithoutlimbs.org
