October 3, 2017
Everything is possible for one who believes.—Mark 9:231
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I have no doubt in my mind that I am blessed, though at first glance, maybe you’d think otherwise. It’s kind of hard to miss: I don’t have legs. But for the longest time, it never dawned on me that I was any different from anyone else. If there was something I wanted to do, then I did it. If I wanted to be a champion tumbler or an aerial artist, missing a couple of limbs was not going to hold me back. My approach was simple: no hesitation, no fear, no worrying “what if?” If an obstacle presented itself, I got creative and figured out how to get around it. It’s an attitude that I feel people aren’t taught, which is probably why I get asked for advice all the time. Life is an amazing journey if you’re not afraid to live it.
That said, I have never felt like I have anything to prove. I am who I am, and I own it. People often ask me, “If you could have been born with legs, would you have wanted that?” Not a chance. God gave me this gift for a reason. And yes, I said gift. I don’t see myself as “disabled” or “handicapped” or lacking in any way, shape, or form. I am grateful for my body every day. I wouldn’t have been presented with such special opportunities to affect people in a positive way if I had been born with legs. That’s how God works through me—through my “uniqueness.” Maybe from the outside looking in, it seems like I was dealt a bad hand. After all, my biological parents abandoned me the day I was born. But the way I see it, that was God protecting me. He had bigger plans. He knew He had to get me to the right place with the right people who could nurture my talents and gifts and teach me to embrace them.
He knew what He was doing—He always does!—Jen Bricker2
(Note: Here’s an inspiring YouTube clip about Jen.)
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To live like Jesus, you have to live with possibility.
This is the faith factor of living: You see the possibilities in life because you have faith. The Bible says, “The just shall live by faith,” “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” “Whatever is not of faith is sin,” “According to your faith it will be done unto you.” Mark 9:23 says, “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
I believe that followers of Jesus should be the most innovative and creative people on the planet, because we serve a God who says all things are possible. The most narrow-minded people I know are people who don’t believe in God. Why? Because their possibilities are limited by their unbelief. When you put your faith in God, it expands your horizon. You can be much more creative and innovative.
You know what the greatest sin is? It’s not the one you’re thinking of. The greatest sin is unbelief—not trusting the God who made you. He made everything on the planet. He made everything in the universe. Everything you have, you owe to him. It all came from God. You wouldn’t have anything, not even your life, if it weren’t for him. Why would you not trust him?
When you have unbelief, it limits your life.
The more you believe and trust God, the more limitless your possibilities become for your family, your career—for your life!
How would it make you feel if God showed you what you could have accomplished in life if you had just believed him a little bit more?—Rick Warren3
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Faith and prayer are the keys to making the impossible possible—even though the process can be very slow and even if our faith is very small. Jesus said that faith as tiny as a mustard seed—one of the tiniest seeds on earth—can move mountains.4
When you face an impossible situation, remember:
“God is my strength and power” (2 Samuel 22:33).
“With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
“We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).
“[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).—Elizabeth Peale Allen5
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God specializes in using little things, weak things, foolish things—those most likely not to succeed! Yet by the miraculous power and grace of God, they become shining lights to the children of men—rays of hope for despairing and desperate men. They are God’s hope for those who feel lost and helpless.
God makes great people out of little people—to show His greatness! He has taken the weak things to confound the mighty, and the things which are not as though they were. He has made something out of nothing—you and me! The Lord is our strength: our power is only in Him. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit!” “Not of works,” but “by grace through faith.”
God can use anything if you let Him. Even a fool like you! Dare to trust Him in spite of yourself and give Him all the glory. If you can believe in God, everything is possible, because He makes everything out of nothing. We’re nothing, and we’re impossible except for God. He’s like the circle around the nothing that makes it something. With God all around you, even your nothing can be something. In fact, you can be almost anything, if it’s God’s will!—David Brandt Berg
Published on Anchor October 2017. Read by Jerry Paladino.
Music by Michael Dooley.
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