Embracing Limitless Potential
Explore the theme of "Beyond Limitation" through inspiring messages of faith, empowerment, and the belief in one's ability to overcome obstacles. Drawing from biblical references and contemporary examples, this narrative encourages embracing one's full potential and striving towards one's dreams with unwavering conviction.
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Ability In Disability BY Hilary Johnson Chukwuma Chukwurah
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. - II Corinthians 8:1-5 (NKJV) Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong! Joel 3:10
This years theme, Beyond Limitation is quite inspiring. It says that no one and no situation in life can limit me that, I am beyond limitations; that I can become whatever I want to become and that I can do whatever I want to do. An African-American musician who goes by the name, NAS was made popular by the song, I Can. The chorus of his song says:
I know I can (I know I can) Be what I wanna be (be what I wanna be) If I work hard at it (If I work hard it) I'll be where I wanna be (I'll be where I wanna be). It is possible to be who you want to be. If the Wright Brothers (inventors of aero plane) could dream of inventing a flying machine and, indeed flew, you can achieve whatever dreams you have.
If Moses could dream of becoming a Prince, Judge and Deliverer of his people (Exodus 2:14) and was able to achieve his dreams (Acts 7:35-36), you, too, can. You can, if you believe you can. America is a great country because of the Believability Mentality of an average American. The word, American spells, AM I - CAN. This year s theme is both faith-generating and empowering. Pastor Joel Osteen is known to say, This is my Bible. I am what it says I am, I have what He says I have, and I can do what He says I can do.
The topic assigned to me is, Ability in Disability. This is oxymoronic: how can there be ability in disability? Here, I am reminded of the words of legendary Williams Shakespeare who affirmed: There is architecture even among the ruins. Indeed, in our respective ruins, there are Divine architectures. Simply stated, in our individual disabilities there are abilities. DISABILITY: UP, CLOSE AND PERSONAL I hail from Umueri, Anambra East Local Government Area, Anambra State. I came from an indigent family, a family that could not afford to raise the human capital of those who were born in it. My father died when I was in Primary Five. That was where education ended for me. Lack of education was such a huge minus and disability that I could not find my voice amongst my peers.
In the course of time, I came to realize that I was only being limited by my background, not by my innate abilities. When I plugged into myself, I saw that there were things I could do with who I was and where I was. You see, you cannot determine where you were born and how you were to be born, but I tell you - you can change your personal story. It was then that I decided not to allow my background to keep my back to the ground. Poverty was my disability. It is not a crime to be born poor, but it may be a crime to die poor. What is your own disability?
DEFINITION OF DISABILITY Merriam Webster s Dictionary defines Disability as: A physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participates in typical daily activities and interactions. There are different kinds of disabilities: physical disability (blindness, hearing impairment, inability to use one s legs or arms; inability to speak or use one s voice, etcetera). There are also conceptual disabilities.
Conceptual disabilities can be psychological or emotional. Under conceptual disability, someone may be physically abled, but psychologically or emotionally disabled. Conceptual disability could be: Lack of education. Poverty or poor parental background. Lack of resources to birth your dreams. Lack of connection. Helplessness.
Disability portends disadvantage or handicap. Knowing that one is disabled or disadvantaged by certain variables and handicapped by a number of factors can be very demoralizing. Global Care wrote: The combination of poverty and disability is toxic. Add stigma and discrimination, and the mix is even more destructive.
Disability is opposite of ability. While ability is a plus, disability is a minus. Disability is a limitation. Anything that limits you and does not allow you to manifest yourself is a disability. There is ability in disability. You can turn your minus into a plus. Your liability can become your assets.
DISABILITY OR ABILITY: WHICH? Which is true disability the person who is physically challenged, but does not allow his condition to deter him or the person who is physically able, but cannot utilize his ability to productive ends?
Take a closer look at Nigerian Olympians: in recent times, physically- abled Nigerians who participated in international sports usually returned home virtually empty while Nigerian Paralympic (those who are physically challenged) always returned home in blazes of glory with assorted medals.
Stevie Wonder, a blind African-American musician once remarked: Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn t mean he lacks vision. Who is truly blind the person who is blind, but has achieved much or the person who can see, but has not been able to do anything with his sight?
Martina Navratilova, a Paralympic said: Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you re needed by someone. Helen Keller who was both blind and deaf remarked: The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision.
I do not know what kind of disability confronts you. But I dare say: Do not limit yourself where nature has not limited you. You can overcome whatever disabilities you have. You can turn your disabilities into abilities.
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW US TO HAVE DISABILITIES ? To Realize That Grace is Available (II Corinthians 12:7-10) And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Mans extremities is Gods own opportunity. Sometimes we may think that what we achieve are achieved by our physical strengths. To Prepare Us For Blessings (Psalms 66:10-12) For thou, O God, hast proved us: you have tried us, as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid afflictions upon our loins. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but you brought us out into a wealthy place.
Most times, God allows us to go through certain challenges of life so as to prepare us for the greatness that lies ahead of us. To Manifest His Glory Through Us (John 9:1-6) And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Sometimes God allows us to pass through certain challenges of life so that His glory will be manifested in and through us. Today, most of the inspiring songs we sing in our assemblies or employ for our personal devotions were written by Fanny J. Crosby. Fanny was a blind girl.
However, she was not born blind, but became blind by accident. Rather than become bitter about her situation, she turned her disability (inability to see physically) into service. It seems that God allowed her to have such an experience in other that she would turn her physical disability to a super spiritual resource. Sometimes God allows us to go through certain challenges so that our true beauties and capacities would be unveiled.
That We Should Inspire Others (II Corinthians 1:2-5) Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ.
Your life can be an inspiration to others. When you pass through certain experiences in life and come forth victorious, other people would look at you and say, If God can do it for him/her, then He can do it for me. Or, If this person is able to go through what he/she went through and became who and what he/she is, then I can do it.
DO NOT BE DETERRED BY YOUR PRESENT CHALLENGES You must understand that life is not a restaurant where you eat and drink, but a battle ground where destinies are determined and lives are changed. Anyone who expects life to be easy and dreams to be realized without challenges is only day- dreaming. The greater the challenges you encounter in life, the greater the opportunities you have to succeed.
Napoleon Hill wrote: Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. Another person remarked: There is a seed of advantage in every adversity. In his book, Don t Throw Away Tomorrow: Living God s Dream For Your Life, Robert Schuller (2007:25) quoted Charles F. Boss Kettering, an inventor at General Motors as saying to his colleagues, Problems are the price of progress. Don t bring me anything but trouble. Goodnews weakens me.
Destinies are determined at places of challenges. There are possibilities in impossibilities. Remember that impossibility does not exist. Things might be difficult, but not impossible. When a situation presents an impossible scenario, look beyond it to see possibilities. Every problem in life has in itself the seed of solution. Do not see problems from their face values, see the opportunities of advancements they present.
You must understand that there is nothing to gain if there is nothing to fight for. The fact that there are challenges show that there is something to profit. So, each time you are faced with mountains of challenges, be assured that they are only trying to stop you from accessing gold. Seek to surmount those challenges and you will go home with the prize. One of my favourites Bible passages is Judges 14:14. It says: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.
What sets out to eat you will turn out to become your food and what you think is strong will end up sweet. Understand that challenges of life are what will make you strong and give you the keys to achieve your goals. There is no prize without a price. For every glory, there is a story. At Luke 24:26, Jesus said, Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? Your challenges are keys to your successes. Do not be deterred by them.
DO NOT ALLOW YOUR THOUGHTS TO DESTROY YOU Develop a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). Learn to see sense in nonsense and ability in disability. Know that there is beauty for your ashes. Isaiah 61:1-3 says: To appoint those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called Trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified Realize also that for every weakness there is strength. II Corinthians 12:10 says:
For when I am weak, then am I strong. Know that your thoughts can make or mar you. Proverbs 23:7 says, As a man thinks in his heart so is he. You are who and what you think. For this reason, I encourage you to engage in Positive Thinking and Mind Renewal exercises. Ephesians 4:23; Proverbs 4:23 say: and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Lots of people are suffering from destructive mentalities. These include Defeatist, Impossibility and I am A Nobody mentalities. Let us look at each of these: Defeatist Mentality This kind of mentality sees only defeat. It compares itself with the size of the problems of life and becomes in its own mind too small and his problems too big to be handled by such a small person as himself. This kind of mentality gives up easily. Proverbs 24:10 says, If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. While others see an opening, a Defeatist only sees strong walls of oppositions. This mentality characterized ten out of twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan by Moses (Numbers 13:27-31).
. God did not create us to be ruled and ruined by defeatism (Joel 3:10; II Timothy1: 7). Impossibility Mentality The spirit of impossibility rules in lives of many people. This explains the many cases of dashed hopes and aspirations among people all over the world. In the real sense of the word, nothing in itself is impossible. Impossibility does not exist. Things might be difficult, but not impossible. Impossibility is only a state of the mind. Things are impossible to you because you think they are impossible. Things may be difficult, but are not altogether impossible. Nothing is impossible to anyone who believes that things are possible (Matthew 17:20). Some people think that it is impossible to change a certain lifestyle. To them, they have reached a point of no return.
Unlock yourself from impossibility mentality. Dare to do things; step out in faith and dare to take on the difficult and impossibility would give way to possibility. I am a Nobody Mentality Satan has deceived and ruined many lives by feeding them with lies (Hosea 10:13b; John 8:44). Who told you that you are a nobody? Nobody is a NOBODY. You are SOMEBODY. Every one God created is created to be somebody. God does not take time to create a nobody. You are created in the very Image and Likeness of God and God is not a NOBODY. He is SOMEBODY. He is important. You are important, too. If you are nobody, why should Jesus die for you? Jesus died for you because you are SOMEBODY. You have a destiny to fulfill that is why you are somebody.
CONCLUSION I do not know what disability is keeping you from becoming what you were created to be. If Stephen Hawking who could not stand, walk and speak without an aid could turn his disability into ability to become the world s famous Theoretical Physicist and wrote, A Brief History of Time, which sold over 10 million copies, then I do not see why you cannot turn whatever disability you have to an ability. If Nick Vujicic, an Australian-American born without arms or legs who has become a world-renowned speaker, could turn his disabilities into abilities, I do not think anyone can say, I cannot do it.
Success and maturity are birthed in wombs of lifes challenges. There is success in failure, appointment in disappointment and strength in weakness. An anonymous person wrote: Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to call out our courage and strength. Pat McDonald wrote: To sit there and tell anybody they can t do something because of a disability, I think that s ridiculous. Whatever you can imagine, you can become. Never believe in never. Have faith in your faith and doubt your doubt. God bless us all!
