Nick Vujicic is a 25-year-old evangelist whose message about being content in all circumstances takes on new meaning when people see his physical condition – he was born without limbs.
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(Photo: Life Withtout Limbs)
But rather than blaming God for his unique physical condition, he credits his Creator for allowing him to connect with a wide range of audiences including insecure teenagers, unmotivated corporate executives, and hopeless prisoners.
Through his ministry, Life Without Limbs, Vujicic travels around the world to share his inspiring personal testimony about how he found joy and hope in Jesus Christ despite his difficult and painful circumstances.
“No matter who you are, no matter what you’re going through, God knows it,” said the Australian-born motivational speaker , according to ABC News, which aired his story Friday on “20/20.” “He is with you. He is going to pull you through.”
As a young boy, Vujicic was teased by other children because of his absent limbs. He recalled contemplating committing suicide at one point in his life by flipping himself off a kitchen bench and hoping to break his neck.
“I used to think that I needed my circumstance to change before I had any hope," he said. "I wanted to know that there was someone else out there in my position, to know that there is hope, that there is more than just the little box that I see in my life."
He noted that in some Third World countries, his condition would be seen as a curse or shame on the family, and that he would have been killed at his birth. But Vujicic’s parents did not see him as such and raised him to look at the bright side of life. His father is pastor of a local church in Brisbane, Australia.
After Vujicic’s birth, his parents did spend months in grief and confusion as to why their son was born without limbs and only a small foot with two toes on his left side. They wondered if they or the doctors had made a mistake, but no answer was to be found. To this day, doctors still do not know what caused Vujicic’s condition.
Vujicic can recall praying for arms and legs before hitting his teens.
"It said in the Bible, 'Ask and you shall receive.' I had faith, and I was actually very angry at God. I didn't understand it,” Vujicic said. “And I thought maybe I wasn't good enough. Maybe that's the reason why He's not answering my prayer. I mean, arms and legs are nothing for God, the Creator of the universe. And so, I prayed for my circumstance to change, but it didn't happen."
Vujicic’s mother, understanding her son’s heart, advised him to focus on his good qualities – his charming personality and friendly gaze.
"Because when people see me talking and speaking, they forget that I have no arms and no legs, and they just treat me like any other person,” he explained. “And I remember ... when I was 6 or 7 years old, I looked at myself in the mirror one day. I wanted to pick out something of my physical features that I knew was good. And I looked at my eyes, and I said, 'You know what? No one can change my eyes.'"
At 17, Vujicic began giving inspirational speeches at school and church-sponsored events. He said his message is especially understood by teenagers, who often feel lonely, rejected, confused and broken. Continue >>
Comments
Nick's video is a must see. It will inspire you more than you'll ever know. I highly recommend it. It will change your life!
Order from the website: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/stuff.php
I don't know if Nick has been invivted to those kind of Churches but he says that he has faith to believe that God can heal him completely and has prayed that God would do so since he was just a child. However, he said that he is content with his circumstances. If God did heal him then he would no longer have a ministry to the kids he ministers to.
I believe God can heal and have experienced it myself and have witnessed it in others when I have prayed for them, but sometimes God doesn't want to heal because He has a greater purpose for their suffering, that is, to help other people deal with similar difficulities in their life.
I wonder: is he ever invited to speak at churches that teach that you are lacking in faith if you don't create your own reality for complete healing. Hank Hannegraf has played audio clips of preachers who tell us about creating our own reality, etc.
I saw this story on 20/20. He IS an amazing speaker. He relates to teens and young people very well. We need more like him to talk to the disabled and the youth around the world. Even some of us older folks could learn a thing or 2!You go guy!
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/
Praise the Lord! Christ is the same yesterday, today & forever.... just curious as to why the picture was not included?
Interview 20/20 had with Nick Vujicic
http://www.comcast.net/providers/fan/popup.html?v=698720078&config=/config/common/fan/news.xml&pl=abcfannews.xml&launchpoint=Link&cid=fanlink&attr=news_sidebar
Well worth the watch.
May God bless this young man and his ministry.