Why should I lift a finger when I have no finger?
Why should I struggle to labor when nature connived,
Deprived, and flagrantly displays my zit for all to see?
Who doesn’t have a dent, yet nature denied me
The chance like the rest, to hide mine like the rest.
I need not seek excuse, I need not seek for blame
I have them, more than I need. I have them, more
Than is good. I have also one thing none can steal
Except I surrender or discard it: Choice – I have
The power to choose to accept what life has forced
On me: I can’t fight what I can’t change. I have
The power to choose, to make of what I’m served,
Whatever I please: not even nature dares deny me that!
So I choose to live no less than the rest. I choose
To work even harder than the rest. I choose to explore
Seeming losses: who hasn’t suffered losses in life?
Mine may be obvious but invisible debts are often
The sorrier so I arise and exploit what you see
For what I need and by it accrue gains that can
Be seen. Where I start is not my fault but where
I end is my responsibility: I choose to rise and shine.
(Dedicated to Nick Vujicic)
I refer to exploration as the process of turning mysteries into opportunities. It can be described as thorough investigation in order to see a desired end. It is also an in-depth examination to discover the possibilities of a subject. Exploitation is utilizing acquired information beneficially: making recoveries from discoveries. I call it the conversion of difficulties to opportunities, working advantageously from the known to limitless possibilities of the unknown.
Grace is an eternal resource, deposited in the hearts of men, awaiting exploration and exploitation by each recipient. It is an inexhaustible resource that can transform obscure discoverers to celebrities irrespective of their initial conditions. When drilled deeply and tapped consistently, it overflows boundaries and drowns disadvantages. When reinvested in people and things, the profits return in multiples.
Examples abound of ordinary people who drilled deep and marketed far, the ordinary products of divine grace and today are living very far from where they started. One living and admirable example is Nick Vujicic. That guy had no reason to lift a finger in a society that seeks excuses to live on the couch of charity. He had sufficient ‘grace’ to lie in bed for the rest of his life. If he dared to get up, nobody would compete with him in bitterness and complaints for being deprived the essentials of life. What do you expect him to do when it appears he had nothing to do them with?
Contrary to normal trends, he placed a demand on grace and is reaping mind blowing harvests. He determined to stand while many with visible legs can barely lift them. He chose to do something while those with visible hands are complaining for lack of zeal and job. That guy is going places while many of us haven’t crossed our neighborhood with our flawless limbs!
He gratefully acknowledges that he is a privileged possessor of the greatest of them all, life richly spiced with grace. He decided to enjoy what he has rather than mourn what he hasn’t. Today we celebrate him as an exceptional person. Grace and courage exudes and lavishly makes up for whatever is lacking. Meeting him, instead of seeing disability, you’ll stand in awe of how far he has come in spite of all. When I count my heroes, Nick stands out tall.
People seek solutions, not problems. If all you have to offer is lamentations, too bad! He did something which may not amount to anything worth hearing when passed through the regular sieve but on the basis of grace, the weight tilts the scale of eternity and draws attention: heaven stands still and angels shriek at such a sight! It is impossible for man not to notice what heaven applauds. The world is taking note of the unusual man that refused to live as usual. Those that have the things he lacks are providing all the support he needs to display that life is more than meets the eyes.
His ‘predicament’ shot him beyond ‘normal’ imaginations. His ‘visible disabilities’ became the platform on which he showcases his ‘invisible capabilities.’ Things that should have worked against him are the very things that make him stand out, the very things taking him places he may never have been. That young man is exploiting not only grace, he is taking extravagant advantage of his disadvantages. How old is he anyway? What are his qualifications and experiences? Do you know his ‘normal’ siblings? Nick is a perfect example of the Scripture that nothing is impossible to him that believes. He is a living proof that life has no limits except the ones you installed by yourself, against yourself.
Many are begging because they are physically disabled. Others wish they were so they could do likewise while some feign it to get by as cheaply as possible. Truth is, there is no perfect person on earth! Each of us is disabled in one area or another, either by nature or by nurture. Quit whining about what you don’t have and focus on what you can do with what you have. With life and grace, there are no limits if you wed your dreams to determination and commitment to excellence.
When we learn to explore and exploit grace without measure, its extravagant favor becomes a shield that shrinks our shortcomings while enhancing our flavor, appreciating our value before God and man. Grace discovered and exploited covers a multitude of ‘odds’. You have heard that where there is a will, there is a way. The good of the land is reserved for the willing and obedient.
If you look beyond the ‘problems’, you will find one thing you can do well enough. When your best jams grace consistently, the force will pave paths where there once was none, and cause you to explode before the great. It is never late, you can start today. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ assure your hearts of the unfailing love of our Father as you fellowship with the Holy Spirit in every area of need, amen.
Glory!