love. You may try to bury your feelings, and you may harden your heart as a protective measure, but you were created out of love and it is part of your life force. God does not want you to squander the love you have. Know that broken relationships prepare you for the one that will last. So stay in faith, and remain open to one of God’s greatest gifts.
G OD ’ S L OVE FOR Y OU M AKES Y OU L OVABLE
As I noted in chapter 1 , there was a time early in my life when I felt that if I really was a child of God, I must have been the one child He did not love. I could not understand why a loving God would create me without arms and legs. I even thought God was punishing me or that He must have hated me.
Why else would He make me so different from most other people?
I wondered also why God would create a child who would be a burden to good Christians like my parents.
For a brief time I shut God out of my life because I was angry. I could not accept that He loved me until I realized that everything He does has apurpose. I read a Bible passage in which God used a blind man to teach a lesson. He healed his blindness “that the works of God should be revealed in him.” In reading that passage in John 9, I had a revelation.
If God had a purpose for a blind man, He must have one for me too
.
I found God’s purpose for me over time, and I realized that I am indeed a beloved child of God, even if He didn’t give me arms and legs. The same holds true for you. I had issues. You may have your own. You may have insecurities and imperfections. Don’t we all? You may not understand what God has in mind for you. I certainly didn’t for the longest time, but when I read of the blind man in the Bible, I put my faith into action. I saw that God had a purpose for the sightless man. I was blind to my own purpose, but my faith allowed me to accept that one day I would find the path God had laid out for me.
The Bible says whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Know that you are God’s creation and that He loves you just as He loves all who stay in faith.
L OVING FROM THE I NSIDE O UT
Once I accepted that God loved me and had a purpose for me, my self-image changed and so did my attitude and my actions. It didn’t happen overnight, but over time I stopped avoiding my classmates in school and around town. I no longer went to the music room so I wouldn’t have to interact with them during lunch hours. I quit hiding behind the bushes on the playground. My parents had encouraged me to speak up instead of waiting for other kids first to reach out to me. I finally emerged from my shell, and I discovered that once people knew me, they accepted me and found me inspiring. More important, I accepted myself.
When I kept to myself out of a fear of rejection, no one could get toknow the real Nick. I felt sorry for myself, and that’s all others could feel for me. But when I shared my victories with my classmates, they celebrated them too. Once I opened up to their curiosity and questions about my lack of limbs, talked openly with them, and laughed with them, they became my friends.
Their respect bolstered my self-image and in turn gave me the confidence to be more outgoing. I realized that being different physically was only as limiting as I allowed it to be. There were some things I could not do, but I often surprised others and myself by finding ingenious ways to overcome challenges. I skateboarded, swam, and excelled in many of my classes, especially mathematics and—surprise—speech!
When I understood my own value, I valued others more. They returned my appreciation for them by appreciating me. That’s the message contained in the Bible when we’re told to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If you love and accept yourself, you will become more loving and accepting of others. You create an environment in which friendship and love for others can be nurtured.
You attract what you put out. If you have no respect for
G OD ’ S L OVE FOR Y OU M AKES Y OU L OVABLE
As I noted in chapter 1 , there was a time early in my life when I felt that if I really was a child of God, I must have been the one child He did not love. I could not understand why a loving God would create me without arms and legs. I even thought God was punishing me or that He must have hated me.
Why else would He make me so different from most other people?
I wondered also why God would create a child who would be a burden to good Christians like my parents.
For a brief time I shut God out of my life because I was angry. I could not accept that He loved me until I realized that everything He does has apurpose. I read a Bible passage in which God used a blind man to teach a lesson. He healed his blindness “that the works of God should be revealed in him.” In reading that passage in John 9, I had a revelation.
If God had a purpose for a blind man, He must have one for me too
.
I found God’s purpose for me over time, and I realized that I am indeed a beloved child of God, even if He didn’t give me arms and legs. The same holds true for you. I had issues. You may have your own. You may have insecurities and imperfections. Don’t we all? You may not understand what God has in mind for you. I certainly didn’t for the longest time, but when I read of the blind man in the Bible, I put my faith into action. I saw that God had a purpose for the sightless man. I was blind to my own purpose, but my faith allowed me to accept that one day I would find the path God had laid out for me.
The Bible says whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Know that you are God’s creation and that He loves you just as He loves all who stay in faith.
L OVING FROM THE I NSIDE O UT
Once I accepted that God loved me and had a purpose for me, my self-image changed and so did my attitude and my actions. It didn’t happen overnight, but over time I stopped avoiding my classmates in school and around town. I no longer went to the music room so I wouldn’t have to interact with them during lunch hours. I quit hiding behind the bushes on the playground. My parents had encouraged me to speak up instead of waiting for other kids first to reach out to me. I finally emerged from my shell, and I discovered that once people knew me, they accepted me and found me inspiring. More important, I accepted myself.
When I kept to myself out of a fear of rejection, no one could get toknow the real Nick. I felt sorry for myself, and that’s all others could feel for me. But when I shared my victories with my classmates, they celebrated them too. Once I opened up to their curiosity and questions about my lack of limbs, talked openly with them, and laughed with them, they became my friends.
Their respect bolstered my self-image and in turn gave me the confidence to be more outgoing. I realized that being different physically was only as limiting as I allowed it to be. There were some things I could not do, but I often surprised others and myself by finding ingenious ways to overcome challenges. I skateboarded, swam, and excelled in many of my classes, especially mathematics and—surprise—speech!
When I understood my own value, I valued others more. They returned my appreciation for them by appreciating me. That’s the message contained in the Bible when we’re told to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If you love and accept yourself, you will become more loving and accepting of others. You create an environment in which friendship and love for others can be nurtured.
You attract what you put out. If you have no respect for
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