You Don’t Know What I’m Dealing With

I came across this clip of this amazing young man named Nick V who was born with no arms or legs.  He struggled with the question of what possible purpose could there be for his life. But now when we see how he inspires others its so obvious what his purpose is. It didn’t have to turn out that way. Nick made a choice at some point to walk in his purpose no matter what.  After I watched this video it got me to thinking, which is worse physical or mental challenges?  But then I realized that’s not what matters most.  Nick shows us this.  Whether our challenges are physical or mental they both can be used to either hinder us and make us bitter or inspire us to be better. Its very obvious what is physically missing from Nicks life but what is not always obvious is what is missing on the inside of us.  It may not be obvious but it will show up in how we deal with our relationships and life in general.  These issues can be used as roadblocks to cause discouragement, anger and pain.  What is so great about Nick is that he embraced the issue that gave him his biggest challenge and used it to help someone else.  God specializes in busting through roadblocks.  He opened an entire sea for the children of Isreal to walk through so they could get to the other side.(read Exodus 14:21,22). You may not need God to remove anything quite that dramatic but anything that is keeping you from getting to the other side needs to be addressed.  Like Nick we have a choice to make. Do we embrace what we struggle with and allow God to work with us and through us? Or do we allow physical or mental challenges to keep us stuck?  What worked for Nick can also work for us. When you realize that someone can benefit from what you have gone through you find your purpose.  You may not help everybody but you can help somebody.  Like Nick God can use our challenges to make us triumphant. He can use whats wrong to make it right. You may not have it all together yet and your circumstances may not line up perfectly. But we know that all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (paraphrased). People may not treat you right and may even judge you for your struggle. But what may have been meant for evil God can turn around for your good. Genesis 50:20 (paraphrased).  No one may know what you’re dealing with but if you make the right choice to allow God to guide you through your pain, just like Nick the glory of God will be obvious. It will shine all over you.