Psalm 73:25-28
You’re all I want in heaven!
You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.
God, I’m telling the world what you do!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I saw a story on CBS Sunday Morning about 30-year-old Nick Vujicic, an Australian man who was born with no arms and no legs. Nick has small “feet” on which he hobbles around, yet he is able to do virtually everything you and I can do with fully functioning limbs. He swims, plays soccer, and even golfs! Life has obviously not been easy for Nick Vujicic, and he will tell you that from ages 8-13, he was angry with God for allowing him to be created this way. He was also bullied continually by his peers at school. In fact, Nick tells in this interview about a day when he was 10 and his father helped him get into the bath tub. Nick asked to be left alone. His father shut the door, and Nick turned himself over face down and “let go” in an effort to drown himself. He could not go through with this, and the thought of hurting his mother, dad and brother in this way made him choose to live.
At age 15, Nick read John 9 and gave his heart to Jesus, and he says on his website, www.lifewithoutlimbs.org, that “I knew I had to make my life right with Him, but I blamed Him for my pain. I read how Jesus said that the blind man was born that way so that the works of God would be revealed through him. I said to God that if He had a plan for that man I certainly believed that He had one for me. I totally surrendered the ‘needing to know the plan’ idea and trusted in Him one day at a time.” Today, Nick is married, the father of a perfectly “normal” little boy… and an international evangelist and motivational speaker whose message in part is that…”My faith in God and my personal relationship has given me the power, strength, humility and grace to ask Him to change me one day at a time. That if my circumstance doesn’t change, then I’d ask Him to change my heart, for all things come together for the good and for those who love Him.” Nick Vujicic offers hope to others by reminding them that they are not alone…and that God will not allow them to go through more than they can handle.
As I read this passage, I’ll be honest… I was immediately struck by the verses that talk of skin that sags and bones that are brittle. For many of you, these things are a long way off in your future… and others among you are right there with me! I thought of the days when I look in the mirror and see another “age spot”… even more white hair… and a little more of me than there was when I was in college! And yet, I also see someone who is refreshed, calm and peaceful, and oh-so-content! How can this be? I give you one word… Jesus! On the days when the devil starts to remind me that I’m not as young as I once was… that I can’t physically do all I used to do in a day… that I walk into a room and forget why I am there, can’t recall familiar names, and lose simple objects like my phone and car keys – or the TV remote…I start humming a happy praise song or thanking God out loud for His ever present help and for meeting all of my needs (and helping me to find the missing object or recollection!).
I find that I don’t care as much about shopping these days… that “things” are not nearly as important as relationships… that I truly do have everything I need. And when I hear about someone like Nick Vujicic, I am doubly humbled to think that God has blessed me so abundantly. What’s the big deal about a head of hair that is quickly turning white and knees that seize up once in a while? In God’s eyes, our bodies and outward appearance do not define us… it’s all about the heart and soul!
I am grateful that I have two arms and legs… that I can walk upright and hug my loved ones… that I am still incredibly sound and healthy in a physical sense. But I am even more grateful for a sound heart and mind. Anyone who knows me well understands that I have become a serious “homebody.” Thanks to technology and modern conveniences, I rarely have to leave the comforts of my house and venture out into the “real world”! Virtually anything and everything I want or need can be delivered to my doorstep, phone or computer screen…even face-to-face conversations with friends and family (although “in-person” interaction with others is still important!). I am even more grateful that I am always “at home” in the LORD… that God is with me… always and everywhere… and that He is truly meeting all my needs.
I know that Nick Vujicic is right… God will not give me more than I can handle with His help… even the loss of limbs, memory, loved ones…or my hair color! And He will do this for you, as well. I am blessed to rest in the peace of God… to reside at home in Him…and to feel his ever present love and care. Where is your home? What matters most to you? What struggles are keeping you from resting in the home of the LORD? Nick Vujicic claims that “attitude is altitude.” Our attitude – our faith, our values, our determination - govern how high we travel… what goals we accomplish, the levels of competence and satisfaction we achieve.
How high are you aiming? Is peace in God and a home with Him at the top of your list of goals and desires? Are you doing everything you can to attain this? Will today be the day you surrender to “needing to know the plan” and trust God to handle things for you? Will this be the day you find your way “home” and rest in God’s peace?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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