Positivity: Born without limbs, Nick Vujicic is spreading message of hope
Article Last Updated: 10/03/2008 10:42:29 PM PDT
Like many 25-year-olds, Nick Vujicic can surf, golf and swim and he’s training for the Los Angeles Marathon - skills that are admirable but not extraordinary.
But that Vujicic can accomplish these feats despite being born without arms or legs is in his words, a miracle.
And the story of the faith that inspired and motivated him - the spirit behind the miracle - is one that Vujicic is sharing with people around the world as part of his Life Without Limbs ministry.
“I know what I’m here to do and that’s to tell people about the hope in Christ that strengthens me,” said Vujicic, who opened his ministry in Westlake Village nearly a year ago. “I’m not living on my own strength. I’m basically walking on water.“That’s the miracle. For a guy without arms or legs to smile - that’s a man walking on water.”
Vujicic (pronounced VOY-chich) is becoming a phenomenon as an evangelist and motivational speaker, drawing audiences of as many as 100,000 people to stadiums, arenas and other forums around the globe.
The native of Australia said he feels called on by God to share his story in an effort to inspire hope. In addition to his speaking tour, he plans to release his first book, “No Limbs, No Limits,” next year.
“I’m not a supernatural guy,” said Vujicic, who has met world leaders and appeared on ABC’s “20/20″ but also speaks at local churches and has videos posted on YouTube.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the power of the Holy Spirit in me that gives me the ability to live a supernatural life of victory. That’s the power I live in.
“I’m more than a man without arms or legs. I’m a child of God.”
In speaking to audiences, Vujucic tells how he was born to Serbian immigrants - a pastor and a nurse who still live in Australia - in 1982. Ultrasound tests performed on his pregnant mother failed to reveal that his limbs were not developing, so his parents were unprepared for his condition when he was born.
With no medical explanation, his family and his father’s church questioned why a God of love would allow the pastor’s son to be born without limbs. But in time, they came to trust that God was in control.
Using his chin and a rudimentary foot on his left side, Vujicic learned to not only walk, but swim, play soccer and marbles, skateboard and fish.
Despite his active life, Vujicic was teased and bullied by other children. He saw himself as a burden to his parents and his younger brother and sister, and unlikely to ever have a normal life.
So at age 8, he said, he tried to drown himself.
His story picks up again at age 13, when he read a newspaper article about a man who’d managed to overcome disabilities. It inspired him to be thankful for his loving family, his health and what he calls his “little foot.”
Although the dark period in his life had passed, he still felt God owed him an explanation. Then, at 15, he read in the Gospel of John how Jesus gave sight to a blind man so the work of God could be revealed.
Finding the answer he was seeking, Vujicic committed his life to Christ.
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