RISING ABOVE THE LIMITATIONS
The first thing people probably notice about me is that I am in a wheelchair. I was born with a birth defect called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congentia. Many people thought my life had very few possibilities because of this. Arthrogryposis a condition that affects the muscles and tissues around the joints, but it is not hereditary. It causes the joints to be in a fixed position, or have a limited range of motion.
When I was born, both of my arms were straight and did not bend at the elbows. My hands were deformed and my legs were very far apart. My knees were in a bent fixed position, and my feet were up by my abdomen.
My parents had been planning to have a normal little baby. They had no idea that their life was about to be changed. After my birth, the doctor spoke with my dad. The doctor didn’t know what was wrong with me, and he didn’t know what my parents would want to do with me. My father told him that they were willing to take me home and love me. They would do their best even though they didn’t know what they future would hold. They would trust God as they faced the road ahead.
There have been many times in my life that I have asked God why I was born this way, but Psalms 139:13-16 says that God created and formed me. He created and formed me. Many times I feel unimportant, inadequate and so unworthy of His love, but I was created by my Heavenly Father and He loves me. God loves and accepts each of us because we are His creation, created in His image.
Society seems to only accept us if we look the right way and have the right socio-economic status, but the Bible tells us that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. He looks beyond our flawed appearance and sees the real us.
When I started school, I learned how much people look at outward appearances. My first day was quite memorable. As I went into the classroom, everyone stared. At recess, groups of kids just stood and stared at me. After a few weeks at school, everyone stopped staring and accepted me. I think everyone stared because I looked different, but we all have unique qualities and characteristics. No one is better than anyone else, just different. God created us to be unique. However, too many times we compare our self with others. We think we’re not as pretty, talented or successful as other people, but we each have qualities and abilities that no one else has.
One of the most difficult aspects of being the only one at my school in a wheelchair was watching the other kids run, swing and do things that I couldn’t. I would sometimes come home from school and cry. I would ask my mom why I had to be in a wheelchair and the other kids could do whatever they wanted. She would tell me that right now we might not understand things, but in God’s time we will. We just have to be patient.
It is amazing how Jesus always comforted me and understood how I was feeling. He understands all our feelings, because He lived on this earth for 33 years. He knows what it is like to be happy, sad, lonely and discouraged. Whether we are flying high on cloud nine, or in the lowest valley struggling through. He understands. As we struggle through the valleys in our life, we will become a stronger person if we let God help us through.
I once heard a story about a man who saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. The man felt sorry for the butterfly, so he cut the cocoon open. The butterfly no longer had to struggle to be released to fly. The man was surprised, however, when the butterfly fell to the ground and died as soon as the cocoon was cut open. You see, the butterfly gets strength enough to fly in its struggle to get out of its cocoon. Many times our struggles seem too difficult for us to go through and we wished they would go away, but God will give us the strength to carry the heavy burdens.
When I was a little girl, my mom and I went horse-back riding one day. We ended up felling off. We were not badly hurt, but I was scared to ride the horse home. My mom said that we had to get back on the horse, or the next time we rode him he might do the same thing. Against my judgment as a 5 year old, we rode the horse home. I had to trust my mom.
That taught me something. No matter how big a mountain may look, how scary a situation may seem or how difficult a problem may be, God wants us to trust Him and face whatever is before us. He will give us the strength to overcome, because His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
When I was 12 years old, I had a mountain in my life that I didn’t think I had the strength to climb, but I had to rely on God to carry me through. I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which is curvature of the spine. The doctors monitored how fast my spine was curving, but at the age of 14 the doctors decided to operate on my back. After my surgery, I was unable to move much because of the large incision in my back. When I got home, I soon realized that things were going to be different. There were things that I could no longer do. It was a very discouraging time in my life. I thought I would probably never have my life back to normal, but I had to try. Through prayers, patience, perservence and time, I was able to do the things that I once had, but it was only because I didn’t give up.
If I would have given up, I would have never completed high school, went to college, lived on my own, or many other things. There have been times when I felt like quitting, but sometimes with a little patience everything became clearer. Whatever you are going through today, just hang on. One more try and you may overcome the obstacle in your path, though it may not be easy. We all have obstacles that we face in this life. Mine are different than yours and yours are different than mine. Whether it may be a low self-esteem, a troubled family life, loneliness or some sort of physical challenge, one must choose if to do nothing or to overcome it. I am unable to raise my arms high enough to brush my teeth or comb my hair. As I got closer to adolescence, fixing my own hair became important to me. One day I had an idea. I had my mom tape a comb onto a dowel rod. It worked. I could comb my hair. I soon had my mom tape my toothbrush onto a dowel rod as well so I could brush my own teeth.
Many people probably look at me and think, “What a shame. She can’t walk.” There have been times in my life that I thought my life would be a bed of roses if only I could walk. However, the phrase “can’t” walk is quite limiting to me and the word “can’t” is limiting to all people. I have had to learn that true happiness does not come from external things.
It is true I can’t walk, but I think it is more important to think about the things I can do. I can feed myself, brush my teeth, put my make-up on, make blueberry muffins, teach my son his abc's, lend a shoulder for a friend to cry on and many other things.
“Can’t” limits the potential of so many people. People have dreams, but never pursue them because they think there are too many obstacles in their way. They never try because they think they can’t do it. I think people who succeed in life aren’t necessarily extra talented or special. They are just willing to take a risk. The risk is one of failure and rejection. If we never step out on faith and take a risk, we will never fail, but we will never gain anything either. They key is to not give up, to keep trying when we are faced with obstacles.
After I finished college, I decided to write and self publish my autobiography. I called it, “With These Wings, I Can Try.” The reason I wrote my book was to use my stories to encourage people to have patience and perseverance when facing difficulties in life, and that all things are possible. Recently, I've decided to blog to share some of my stories, thoughts, and about the ups and downs of life. So, until next time, Lisa
