‘No arms, no legs, no worries’By Ruth Schenk | rschenk@secc.org
Last summer, thousands of Kenyans packed into a
Nairobi church to hear Nick Vujicic, a handsome
Australian with a booming voice. Before the
service began, friends lifted him onto a table at
the front of the sanctuary where he shared a little
about his life without arms or legs.
No one knew why he was born without limbs.
Doctors were as shocked as Vujicic’s parents,
devout Christians who planted a church in
Australia 11 months before Vujicic was born. They
knew every word of Romans 8:28: "In all things,
God works for the good of those who love Him,"
but it was hard to understand how God could use
their son’s loss for good.
"Even though my parents were Christians, the last
words on their minds the day I was born were
‘Praise God," Vujicic said.
Some people dared to ask tough questions. As he
grew older, Vujicic asked them, too. He read in
Sunday school about being made in God’s image.
That seemed like a cruel joke. He seesawed
between despair and begging God to grow arms
and legs for him. He reasoned that a miracle
would draw massive attention to God’s power.
In the early years, Vujicic wasn’t allowed to go to
public school in Australia because of his disability.
His mother fought for the law to be changed, but as hard as she fought for that privilege,
school created a host of new problems. Kids bullied and teased. Most activities were out of
reach.
"I liked going to school, but that was where I encountered times of feeling rejected, weird and
bullied because of my physical differences," Vujicic said. "I knew that I was different, but on
the inside, I was just like everyone else."
Vujicic contemplated suicide the year he turned 8.
He read Jer. 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
"But I said to God, what kind of hope and future do I have?" Vujicic recalled.
When he was 15, one story in the Bible answered one of his toughest questions.
"When I read the story about the blind man in the Bible who asked Jesus why he was born
that way, Jesus said he was born so that the work of God could be revealed through him,"
Vujicic said. "That gave me peace. I said, ‘Lord, here I am. Use me. Mold me. Make me the
man you want me to be.’"
Since then, he has stopped thinking of his condition as a birth defect.
"I see this as a gift that God is using in my life to bring people from far and near to hear my
story and the hope we can have in Jesus. I know that even if I save one person from giving
up, then my work here is done," he said.
Vujicic decided that he might be without limbs, but he would live without limits. He learned to
write using the two toes on a partial foot that protrudes from his body, type 45 words per
minute on his computer using the "heel and toe" method, throw tennis balls, answer the
phone, walk and swim. He invented ways to shave and brush his teeth. He cares for himself
and gets around in a special chair with a seat that lifts and lowers.
He earned double degrees in accounting and financial planning by age 21.
Self-pity has no place in Vujicic’s message. He weaves his story with humor.
When he enters a rooms, he says, "I’d love to shake your hand, but I don’t have any."
He told a crowd, "A boy came up to me and asked what happened. I said, ‘Cigarettes,’
because I love to freak kids out."
In the last five years, Vujicic has shared his story as a preacher /evangelist in 12 countries
across Africa and Southeast Asia. In India, crowds of more than 100,000 packed an
auditorium to hear his story. He drew large crowds in Indonesia where 80 percent of the
population is Muslim.
Vujicic’s message is far from a stop-your-complaining, look-at-my-life-scenario about
comparing suffering.
It’s more about trusting God in all circumstances.
"If I can trust in God with my circumstances, then you can trust in God with your
circumstances," he said. "We know that God’s grace is sufficient, and if he doesn’t answer
your prayers, just know that He is with you and that’s the message—‘Fear not for I am with
you.’"
Vujicic began speaking in churches and convention centers two years ago. It began after a
retreat.
George Miksa, who works at Life Without Limbs, the 501c3 organization formed two years ago,
said Vujicic’s message reaches hearts in a profound way.
"Nick’s approach to life is complete victory," he said. "He encourages us to look at our biggest
obstacles. He encourages people to never give up and tells them that God gives the strength
to get up again. Response is amazing."
Vujicic has a special message for teenagers.
"When people put you down, get a second opinion," he said. "You get a second opinion with
medical issues, so why not get a second opinion in the Word of God? People called me names
when I was a child, but the Word of God says I’m a child of the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. That’s who I am. I have a purpose, which is hope. No one can argue with my smile. No
one can argue with my joy. No one can argue with my strength. And you know, it’s not my
strength. You know that it is God’s strength made perfect in weakness."
Vujicic already has a packed schedule next year. He also will release his first book, No Arms,
No Legs, No Worries.
"Not having arms and legs has gotten me into some doors I would not have been able to walk
through."
Learn more about Nick Vujicic at www.lifewithoutlimbs.org.
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