Eduardo overcame huge obstacles to make this vision for a medical center come true. I’m honored to have appeared at fund-raisers to support the Guadalupe clinic, which has state-of-the-art medical equipment and a wonderful, caring medical staff. Eduardo designed the facility to be like a spa, so when women entered, they would immediately feel comforted and cared for. Already, they have saved many lives.
Eduardo and I consider ourselves brothers now, but back when we were filming The Butterfly Circus, he had to yell at me to get me to spit on him for our big scene together. I kept begging the director just to do it with special effects. Eduardo, the professional actor, kept egging me on until I finally agreed to do it—of course, he wasn’t so thrilled that an amateur actor had to do it seven or eight times before he got it right! They actually had to give me special tablets so I could work up a frothy spit.
I’m grateful that Eduardo did not hold it against me and that our friendship has grown over the years. He recently completed a movie titled Cristiada about a Catholic rebellion against persecution in Mexico in the 1920s, with big stars including Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, and Peter O’Toole. (In 2012 the film was released in the United States with the title For Greater Glory). Eduardo’s career is once again on track, but now he is able to live in faith and in peace as he follows his passion for serving God’s will by making positive, faith-filled movies.
When I first met Eduardo on the set of The Butterfly Circus, he stunned me by saying that he’d kept a poster of me on the wall of his apartment for inspiration during the most difficult period of his life. As he told me his story, I found that Eduardo inspired me instead.
My friend’s return to grace is proof that it is never too late for any of us to discover our true passion and purpose, something that allows us to express all the blessings and love God put into creating us. No matter where you are in life, no matter how far you may have wandered from God’s path, you can always return to grace. If you have yet to find your passion—or if, like Eduardo, you have lost your way—have faith, forgive yourself, and ask God to do the same. Then you’ll be on your way to becoming unstoppable!
FIVE
Body Weak, Spirit Strong
RACHEL WILLISSON OF CRANBROOK, BRITISH COLUMBIA, LOST HER mother-in-law, her grandmother, her father, and her dog all in one year. The only positive development during that time was that she became pregnant with her second child, a blessing since she and her husband, Craig, conceived this second child easily after having struggled for years to get pregnant the first time.
Then, in November 2007, just two months after she’d lost her father, Rachel and her husband were told by a sonogram operator that something was not right with their twenty-one-week-old fetus. A radiologist was summoned, and after more testing, he told the couple that the baby appeared to have no arms and her legs were much shorter than they should have been at that stage.
“In an absolute weeping mess, I raced home and Googled ‘babies with no arms and no legs,’ ” Rachel said. “On the screen popped up this incredibly cute blond baby boy with no arms and legs but with a soother in his mouth! I started to read about that child, now grown into a young man in his twenties, and I watched every one of his videos I could find. I couldn’t tear myself away from the screen. I watched ten or fifteen of those videos, and as I watched one after another, calm came over me.”
The fearful, negative thoughts that had bombarded her at first were gradually replaced by more hopeful and positive thoughts. If this guy is okay without arms and legs, then my baby will be okay. He seems to really be doing well. He seems happy and upbeat. He travels the world. We can handle this; our child will be fine.
“Everything he said in those videos calmed me and gave me peace. I realized God was settling my heart by telling me if Nick Vujicic could become a magnificent person, our baby could too!” she recalled. “God knew who to send me.”
Yes, that “incredibly cute blond baby boy,” was me, believe it or not. (Thank you, Rachel! That makes two of us who think I was awfully adorable.) After finding my childhood photograph, reading about me, and watching my videos, Rachel and Craig Willisson realized that their unborn baby could live a relatively normal life, even a ridiculously good life. So when their doctor suggested that termination was an option, their response was, “No, absolutely not!”
“I don’t think I took a breath before I said no!” Rachel said. “We had tried getting pregnant for ten years before our first daughter, Georgia, was born, and I could not even fathom the thought of killing this baby, Brooke. Maybe in society’s eyes she was not perfect, but in ours she was. We realized that this baby was here for a reason—God’s reason, not mine. Who was I to say what is considered perfect? She was kicking, moving; her heart was beating in my body. My baby, in whatever form, was mine.”
Rachel and Craig decided they would raise their “little masterpiece” of a daughter just like my parents had raised me—“to do God’s work.”
When Brooke was born, her family was not only prepared, they were excited and feeling blessed. “We had a celebration,” Rachel said. “They had to shut down the maternity ward because we had thirty-five visitors in our room with flowers and food and presents.”
I met Brooke and her parents and sister two years after her birth. When Rachel told me her story of being at first overwhelmed by the radiologist’s report and then calmed and reassured by my videos, I was so touched and thankful I couldn’t stop crying.
My own mum and dad had no one who had gone through a similar experience to give them comfort and reassurance after I was born. But ever since I met the Willisson family, my parents have been there for them, offering their guidance and sharing their experiences. What a gift to be able to serve this family and their precious daughter Brooke, who was four years old as of February 2012.
“She is like a female version of Nick,” her mother says. “They share the same determination and love and warmth, as well as this cheeky attitude with an excitement and zest for life that takes your breath away sometimes. But the greatest thing is hugging them. When you hug Nick and Brooke, because they have no arms, you get that much closer to their hearts. It always makes me sigh.”
FINDING COMFORT INSTEAD OF DESPAIR
Brooke’s father, Craig, is an example of something I have seen many times with individuals and families who’ve dealt with disabilities or serious illness. Instead of being angry or bitter about their child’s lack of limbs and other physical challenges that have stressed the family’s finances, Craig Willisson has drawn closer to God than ever before.
“I wasn’t much of a church person or much into faith, but we named our daughter Brooke Diana Grace Willisson after the grace of God. Her birth definitely has brought me closer to God and to a lot of new people—our church family,” he said.
Brooke’s birth was a difficult one. Her mother hemorrhaged after the delivery. “But I saw how God stepped in and made everything right,” said Craig, who decided to be baptized once his wife and daughter were both home and doing well. “I think God saw that Rachel and I are the type of people who can handle Brookie’s disabilities,” he said. “She is definitely a prodigy of God. And ever since her birth, He has helped us with a lot of good things. We recently had two ‘angels’ in our community pop up and offer to build a huge addition onto our place for free. We feel that God is pulling people together.”
I stay in touch with Brooke and her parents, and the thing that always strikes me about them is that they are such joyful people. I don’t say that lightly. They have challenges, to be sure, but you only have to be around them for a bit to realize how they truly have joy in their lives. Brooke is like a bright light that draws people to her, and her parents seem to always be celebrating the lives of her and her sister, Georgia.
Rachel has made a T-shirt collection for Brooke and their family and friends with messages such as “Who Needs Limbs When You Have God?” “When God Made Me He Was Just Showing Off,” and my personal favorite, “Arms Are for
Wimps!”
The Willissons have put their faith in action in dealing with Brooke’s physical disabilities. They have accepted that God has a plan for their daughter, even though they don’t know what that plan may be. They say it has helped them to watch God’s plan for me unfold. They know that His plan for Brooke may be entirely different, but they are taking each day as it comes with gratitude, grace, and—as the T-shirts indicate—healthy doses of humor.
Why is it that some people with disabilities like Brooke or others with serious illnesses or cruel diseases can find peace, enjoy other aspects of their lives, and even make positive contributions despite their own challenges? Could it be that they have not allowed their physical problems to cripple them emotionally? Could it be that they’ve chosen to focus on what is good in their lives instead of what is bad? Perhaps. Here is another possibility: maybe they’ve let go and let God. Maybe they’ve decided to let go of their pain, anger, and grief and let God handle it instead. Most people dealing with serious health problems or severe disabilities put faith into action every day in some way. Often it is faith in their doctors and nurses or in their pills, treatment, and medical equipment. Accepting professional medical care is consistent with having faith. God has given you the opportunity to be served by trained and talented people. If you are thirsty, you might like to have it quenched supernaturally, but you surely would accept a cup of water handed to you by a caring person, wouldn’t you? It’s the same with God’s leading your decisions as you walk in faith.
You don’t have to be a spiritual person to put faith into action, but as a Christian, I have to say that knowing God is strong when I am weak gives me great relief and tremendous peace and joy. I can only wish, however, that I had the levels of joy expressed by my friend Garry Phelps who was born with Down syndrome. He is now twenty-five years old and one of the most inspiring people I know.
One day Garry heard some family friends talking about a newborn child who’d just been diagnosed with Down syndrome too. One of them wasn’t aware Garry was listening when it was said, “Oh, that’s so sad.”
Garry jumped up from his chair and said, “Well, I think it’s great!”
“Why do you say that, Garry?” the friend asked. “What is Down syndrome to you?”
“All Down syndrome means is that you love everybody and you never, ever hurt anybody!” Garry replied.
My friend has found the sweet spot in his affliction and in his life. Those with Down syndrome are said to have impaired mental capacity, yet I have to say that Garry may be wiser than many of us. He chooses to focus on the blessings of his burden and to give the rest up to God.
Garry leads a full and active life, writing, singing, and recording songs and exercising each day. I’ve never seen him “down” in any way. He loves Jesus without any doubt and with all his heart, and that is easily apparent in his beautiful and sincere prayers.
WHY ME?
Like most people with disabilities or serious health problems, I went through a long period when I questioned why a loving God would place such a burden upon me. It’s a natural question and an important one. If God loves each of us, why would He allow anyone to be stricken with painful, life-threatening, and even fatal illnesses and diseases? Why would He allow so many, especially children, to suffer? Taking it further: how could a God who loves all His creations allow tragedies like terrible automobile accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, and wars that maim and kill people? What about bombings, shootings, stabbings, violent assaults, and other grievous events that are all too common?
I asked those questions as a boy trying to understand God’s ways, and I’ve been asked it many times by others seeking guidance. My lack of limbs draws others with physical disabilities to me, and many of them inquire how I’ve resolved those questions. Often they have far greater challenges than mine, such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, paralysis, and blindness. Most are looking for my answer to the “Why me?” question, but in some cases, they offer their own answers. I received an e-mail from a young man I’ll call Jason, who had barely survived a terrible car accident.
He was riding in a car driven by a family member who lost control and struck the center median, flipping the car over. Jason’s seat belt had been broken already, so he was thrown from the car. His skull was cracked, and his brain was damaged in four areas. He had some good fortune in that there was an emergency vehicle nearby. The paramedics saw his accident and immediately came to help. Jason had to have surgery to remove a section of his skull because his brain was swelling. He was in a coma for two weeks. When he awoke, the right side of his body was paralyzed, and he had difficulty speaking and smelling. A month into his recovery, his doctors discovered that Jason had broken his nose and collarbone. He spent another month in the hospital. He recovered his ability to speak, but his right side remained paralyzed and he had other challenges.
“I was afraid at first that no one would ever treat me the same,” he said. “But then I had this sense that God was with me and that I would be okay. Ever since then my opinion about my injury has changed one hundred percent. I used to ask, Why me? Why me? But now I say, ‘Why not me?’ ”
People have asked Jason if he still believes in God after so many bad things happened to him. “My reply is that God kept me alive. How could I not believe in Him?”
I’m with Jason. I don’t believe God causes us to be hurt, sick, or to suffer a loss. But I do believe that God finds ways for us to use bad things for a good purpose. In Jason’s case God kept him alive and strengthened him spiritually. Jason now places more value on every day of his life.
The Bible says suffering comes from Adam and Eve. We all have sin because of them. When Adam and Eve fled the Garden of Eden, they had fallen into sin and were banished from the supernatural world to the natural world. Because of their sin, they and all their ancestors—including you and me—were separated from God’s kingdom. So while we seek eternal life through God in heaven, we first have to go through a temporary life in the natural world to get there. Still, while we are in the natural world, we should live with purpose so that God can bring the good out of even bad situations.
This is a difficult concept to master with logical thinking. A positive attitude is helpful, but it takes more than that to deal with a major medical issue. You need the love of your family and friends. And Christians can draw upon the incredible power of the Holy Spirit that transforms us from the inside out. As bad as your injury, illness, or disability may be, you can allow God to make something beautiful out of it. Personally, I can’t make beauty out of pain and suffering, but in His mercy and power and greatness, God can.
God loves us just as parents love their children. Sometimes a parent intercedes when a child is hurting. Sometimes, though, a parent might not step in because the child needs to learn a lesson, figure something out, or pay more attention to the parent. There are even other times when a parent might step in to end a child’s happiness because of danger or long-term threat—such as when a child is happily playing with matches or when a teen is enthralled with a boyfriend or girlfriend who is a negative influence.
God loves us and is not a hands-off Father. Thanks to our original ancestors, Adam and Eve, and their disobedience in the Garden of Eden, God’s law is God’s law. The crime of sin was committed, and the punishment was eternal separation from God. But that is not why He created us. In the Old Testament you see animal offerings given as atonement for sin. Then God sent down His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of men and women on earth so that someday we can all return to God’s side in heaven.
Our Creator always acts out of love and with the desire to bring us to Him for eternity. The Bible says the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
Sometimes God gives us His blessings. At other times, if He feels we need it, He may allow a challenge or a setback or something even worse into our lives to remind us to stay close to Him or to remind others through our suffering.
Yet there ar
e also many loyal and devout Christians who suffer on this earth. What’s up with that? I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. Some say that God may bring challenges into our lives to teach us humility, as in the case of Paul, the former persecutor of Christians, who wrote that when he became popular as an evangelist, God put a thorn in his flesh “to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” But Paul noted that God also gave him the grace to bear that burden—something we can all hope for.
“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope,” he wrote.
ADVERSITY BUILDS STRENGTH
I’ve always believed that God will put us through challenges to strengthen us. In recent years researchers in health psychology have found support for this in studies of people who’ve experienced severe stress and trauma across a wide range, from life-threatening illnesses to catastrophic events to the loss of loved ones. While you often hear about posttraumatic stress, psychologists have also found that those who deal successfully with health challenges can experience posttraumatic or adversarial growth.
Researchers found that many who successfully deal with physical adversity actually grow in positive ways:
• They realize they are stronger than they thought, and they tend to recover more quickly from future challenges.
• They discover who truly cares about them, and those relationships grow stronger.
• They put greater value on each day and on the good things in their lives.
• They become stronger spiritually.
The Bible’s poster child for adversarial growth is Job. Satan took everything Job had, not only his land and possessions, but also his children and his health. Even so, Job persevered. In fact, he remained faithful to God, and in return God eventually gave him double what he had lost.