last christmas my mom got me a book called 'life without limits' by nick vujicic. once i picked this book up, i could not put it down. this guy is amazing. he was born without arms or legs but has decided to accept himself as he is and to believe that God has a plan for him. in this book he talks about his journey in accepting himself, his ups and downs and to where he is now; a world renowned motivational speaker but most of all, living a life without limits.
well, God being the awesome guy He is...sent nick to my neck of the woods last weekend! when i found out i couldn't stop saying "SHUT UP!" i was completely baffled that i was going to get to see this guy that has turned my world around. he has proved to me that i have every reason to believe in myself. i want to be an author. i want to be a motivational speaker. i want to have a non profit to help others in medical need. i want to give people reason to believe in themselves and to love themselves as they are. to help them trust in Gods love for them and love themselves fully. since reading his book, i have found the courage to act on these desires and take steps towards them. if a man without arms or legs can do all these things, why on earth couldn't i? tumors? pain? HA! ridiculous!
after listening to nick speak last weekend, he has made me reevaluate myself and my tumors yet again. the invisibility of my disorder used to bother me. it has stood in the way of me feeling completely understood by my peers and loved ones. for a long time it upset me that i didn't feel fully understood, validated or trusted when i would be crying in pain or fear of my future. well now i realize that frustration of mine was foolish. why should i care so much about people understanding my pain and the threats my tumors have over me? i wanted people to understand so badly that it actually kept me from moving forward in certain parts of my life and growing in certain areas of my heart. nick has a very visible defect. but he doesn't act like a man with no arms or legs. i actually forgot about his lack of wrists when i was planning on giving him a tumor hater bracelet. as i put it around his foot i remembered him telling us all that he has a pair of shoes in his closet. he doesn't want to be treated any different than you or i. it doesn't even seem like he thinks he is any different. so me being frustrated cuz i don't look different enough is just completely ridiculous to me now.
here are a couple of things nick said that really moved me;
"what good are arms and legs if you don't know what to do with them?"
"more than arms or legs i want peace."
we are so much more than what we lack. our 'lacks' are only as powerful as we allow them to be. it is so easy to focus on what we don't have and allow it to dictate our happiness and our success. we must reach a point where our desire to live our dream is stronger than our fear of never getting there. my life is up to me, i refuse to plan my life around my lacks. but instead i will hope in my future because i believe the promises of God. i believe He has given me my 'lacks' as an irreplaceable tool in helping me live my dream life without limits.
Now I have another book that I need to check out from the library! Sounds great.
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