The miracle that God wants to do to us
Last Saturday I had the privilege of having a one on one moment with Nick Vujicic, the Ozy evangelist and speaker. The first thing you sense when you are with him is pure unadulterated joy. Something that clearly comes from within. On Wednesday I will post the video interview that is really along the lines of how to connect to God, connect to others and connect others to God - The LEGO Principle.
For today, I am recounting a story in Nick's first book - "Life Without Limits." It was an incident that was a turning point in his life. He was 24 years old when it happened. Nick was invited to speak at church in Anaheim California. Packed to the rafters he heard a man calling his name. The older gentleman pointed to a younger man who was carrying a child.
When the man lifted up the child he too did not have arms and legs like Nick. The effect on Nick is captured on this account from his book:
"I first felt compassion for him and his family. But then sharp memories and anguished emotions bombarded me as I was vividly brought back to how I felt at about that age, and I realized that he must have been going through the same things.
I know how he feels I thought. I've already been through what he will experience. Looking at Daniel, I felt a connection and a surge of empathy for him.Old feelings of insecurity, frustration, and loneliness flooded back, pulling the air out of my lungs.
Then I had a revelation that brought a sense of calm. When I was growing up, I had no one who shared my situation who could help me guide me, but now Daniel has someone. I can help him. My parents can help his parents. He doesn't have to go through what I went through."
According to Nick this was a turning point in his life. He had already been serving God and reaching out to others but the encounter was a "life changing moment." He writes:
"In that life changing moment when I looked out and saw Daniel held above the crowd in that church, I realized that I'd become the miracle that I'd prayed for. God had not given me such a miracle. But he had made me Daniel's instead.
I was twenty four years old when I met Daniel. When his mother, Patty, hugged me later that day, she said it was like stepping into the future and hugging her own grown-up son. "You have no idea. I've been praying that God would send me a sign to let me know that He has not forgotten my son or me,' she said. 'You are a miracle, you are our miracle.'"
The simple thought I had as I read this story is how God has created each one of us as the miracle for someone else. Often we are too busy focusing on ourselves that even our prayers are directed in wanting miracles for our own lives. Today, as you pray, ask God to make you the miracle that someone else is believing Him for. It is often the miracle that God wants to do but one we often miss.
Have a great week!
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
