As a Christian, I believe the final judge of how we’ve lived is God. The Bible teaches that His judgment is based on our actions, not our words. Revelation 20:12 says, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” I act upon my beliefs by traveling the world and encouraging people to love one another and to love God. I am fulfilled in that purpose. I truly believe it is why I was created. When you act upon your beliefs and put your faith into action, you, too, will experience fulfillment. And please, do not be discouraged if you aren’t always absolutely confident in your purpose and how to act upon it. I have struggled. I still struggle. And so will you. I fail and am far from perfect. But deeds are merely the fruit—the result of the depth of a true conviction of the truth. Truth is what sets us free, not purpose. I found my purpose because I was looking for truth.
It is hard to find purpose or good in difficult circumstances, but that is the journey. Why did it have to be a journey? Why couldn’t a helicopter just pick you up and carry you to the finish line? Because throughout the difficult times, you will learn more, grow more in faith, love God more, and love your neighbor more. It is the journey of faith that begins in love and ends in love.
Frederick Douglass, the American slave turned social activist, said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Your character is formed by the challenges you face and overcome. Your courage grows when you face your fears. Your strength and your faith are built as they are tested in your life experiences.
MY FAITH IN ACTION
I have discovered time and again that when we ask for God’s help and then take action, knowing in our hearts that He is watching over us, there is no reason to be fearful. My parents taught me this, mostly in the way they lived each day. They are the greatest examples of faith in action I have witnessed.
Though I arrived on this earth missing, as my mother says, “a few bits and pieces,” I am blessed in many, many ways. My parents have always been there for me. They did not coddle me. They disciplined me when I needed it and gave me room to make my own mistakes. Most of all, they are wonderful role models.
I was their first child and definitely a surprise package. Despite doing all the usual maternity tests, my mother’s doctor detected no indication that I would come into the world with neither arms nor legs. My mother was an experienced nurse who had assisted in hundreds of deliveries, so she took every precaution during her pregnancy.
Needless to say, she and my father were quite stunned that I arrived without limbs. They are devout Christians. In fact, my father was a lay pastor. My parents prayed for guidance while I underwent many days of testing after my birth.
Like all babies, I did not come with an instruction book, but my parents sure would have welcomed a little guidance. They knew of no other parents who’d raised a child without limbs in a world designed for people with a complete set.
They were distraught at first, as any parents would be. Anger, guilt, fear, depression, despair—their emotions ran away with them for the first week or so. Many tears were shed. They grieved for the perfectly formed child they’d envisioned but did not receive. They grieved, too, because they feared that my life would be very difficult.
My parents could not imagine what plan God had in mind for such a boy. Yet, once they’d recovered from their initial shock, they decided to put their trust in God and then to put their faith in action. They gave up their attempts to understand why God had given them such a child. Instead, they surrendered to His plan, whatever it might be, and then went about raising me as best they could, the only way they could: pouring into me all their love one day at a time.
CUSTOM MADE FOR A PURPOSE
When my parents exhausted all the medical resources in Australia, they sought help for me in Canada and the United States and anywhere else in the world that offered hope and information. They never did uncover a full medical explanation for my condition, though many theories were offered. My brother, Aaron, and sister, Michelle, were born a few years later with the standard package of limbs, so a genetic defect did not appear to be the problem.
After a while, the why of my creation became far less important to my parents than the how of my survival. How would this boy learn to be mobile without legs? How would he care for himself? How would he go to school? How would he ever support himself as an adult? None of this concerned little baby me, of course. I had no idea that my body wasn’t the standard issue. I thought people stared at me because I was so adorable. I also believed I was indestructible and unstoppable. My poor parents could hardly contain their fears as I routinely flung myself like a human beanbag off the couch and onto the floor, over car seats, and around the yard.
You can imagine their concern when they first caught me skateboarding down a steep hill. Look, Mom, no hands! Despite their loving efforts to provide me with wheelchairs and other apparatus, I stubbornly developed my own approaches to mobility. The skin on my forehead grew as thick as the soles of most feet because I insisted on raising myself from a prone position by bracing it against walls, furniture, or any other stationary object, and then slowly wriggling my way upright.
To the horror of many innocent bystanders, I also tended to plunge into swimming pools and lakes after I discovered I could swim and remain buoyant by keeping a bit of air in my lungs while paddling about with my little foot. That handy little appendage would prove to be invaluable after an operation was done to separate two fused toes, allowing me to manipulate them with surprising dexterity. With the arrival of cell phones and notebook computers, I could use my foot to type and text, which also proved to be a blessing.
I eventually learned to focus on solutions rather than problems, on doing instead of stewing. I found that when I got rolling on something, there was a snowball effect. My momentum picked up and my problemsolving powers increased. It’s said that the universe rewards action, and that certainly has been true for me.
Day by day, God has revealed His plans for me. Your fears and concerns will be diminished too, if you turn them over to Him and act in faith, working on solutions, building momentum, and trusting that God will show you the path.
You will still face challenges and frustrations. They are part of life. Yet when you put your faith in action, you tend to be unstoppable, seeing obstacles as opportunities to learn and grow. Honestly, I may not always welcome challenges. Sometimes when they occur, I want to ask God, “Haven’t You given me enough to deal with?” But time and again, I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned and come out the better for the experience, as difficult as it may have been.
I have had so many of these learning opportunities I should be master of the universe by now. As you might imagine, my greatest hurdles came in adolescence, the time in life when we are all trying to figure out who we are and how we fit in—or don’t fit in.
Even though I had many friends and was popular in school, there were bullies who tormented me. More than once, cruel comments were thrown my way. Despite my naturally optimistic and determined spirit, I became increasingly aware that I would never look like everyone else, nor would I be able to do all the things that normally configured people can do.
As much as I tried to make jokes about my lack of limbs, I was increasingly tormented by the thought that I would be a burden on those who loved me, because I wouldn’t be able to support myself. My other great fear was that I would never be able to marry and have my own family, because no woman would want a husband who couldn’t hug her, protect her, or hold their children.
In those adolescent years, I fretted constantly and my thoughts turned dark. I could not imagine why God would create me to suffer such deprivation and loneliness. I wondered if He was punishing me or if He was even aware of me. Was I a mistake? How can a God who loves all His children be so cruel?
Between the ages of eight and ten,
those darkening thoughts triggered despair and destructive impulses. I began contemplating suicide. I’d find myself plotting to leap off a high ledge or to drown myself in the bathtub, where my parents had no fear of leaving me since I had learned to swim.
Finally, I did make an attempt at suicide in the bathtub when I was ten years old. I tried a couple of times to roll and hold my face under water, but I could not go through with it. I kept thinking of the grief and guilt that would burden my parents for the rest of their lives if I took my own life. I could not do that to them.
At that lowest point I couldn’t see that my life had a purpose. If I couldn’t support myself and wasn’t worthy of love from a woman, what good was I? My fear was that I’d float through life, alone and a burden on my family. My youthful despair was rooted in a lack of faith in myself, in my purpose, and in my Creator. I could not see my path, and so I did not believe it was possible for me to have a purposeful and fulfilling life. Because God had not granted my request for a miracle that would give me arms and legs, I lost faith in Him too.
You may have had a similar experience. Maybe you are dealing with a challenge right now. If so, please understand just how wrong I was and how limited my vision had become because of my loss of faith. I forgot that God does not make mistakes, and He always has a plan for us.
In the years that followed, His plan was slowly revealed to me, and my life unfolded in ways I never dared to dream. My parents encouraged me to reach out to my fellow students and to trust that most would accept me. When I did that, I discovered they were actually inspired by my stories of overcoming my disability. Some even thought I was funny! Their acceptance motivated me to speak to student organizations and church groups. The positive response to my speeches opened my eyes. Over time I realized that one of my purposes was to inspire people to overcome their own challenges and to bring them closer to God, if they were willing.
I came to believe in my own value. My faith in God grew stronger and stronger the more I acted upon it. When I put faith into action and embarked on a career as an international speaker and evangelist, I was rewarded with a joyful and incredibly rewarding life that has taken me around the world, introduced me to millions of people and now you!
NO PROOF REQUIRED
You and I cannot see what God has in store for us. That is why you should never believe that your worst fears are your fate or that when you are down, you will never rise again. You must have faith in yourself, in your purpose, and in God’s plan for your life. Then you must put fears and insecurities aside and trust that you will find your way. You may not have a clue of what lies ahead, but it’s better to act on life than simply let life act on you.
If you have faith, you don’t need proof—you live it. You don’t need to have all the right answers, just the right questions. No one knows what the future holds. Most of the time, God’s plan is beyond our grasp and often beyond even the reach of our imaginations. As a ten-year-old boy, I never would have believed that within the next ten years, God would send me to travel the world to speak to millions of people, inspiring them and leading them to Jesus Christ. Nor could I ever have known that the love of my family would one day be matched and even surpassed by the love of the intelligent, spiritual, fearless, and beautiful young woman who recently became my wife. That boy who despaired at the thought of his future is at peace today as a man. I know who I am, and I take one step at a time, knowing God is on my side. My life is overflowing with purpose and love. Are my days free of worry? Is every day blessed with sunshine and flowers? No, we all know life doesn’t work that way. But I thank God for each and every moment that He allows me to walk the path He has set out for me. You and I are here for a purpose. I’ve found mine, and you should take my story as an assurance that your path awaits you too.
BELIEVING AND ACHIEVING
When you accept on faith that you will find your purpose and then move step by step on the path to discovery, you will find as I have that God’s vision of your life is far greater than anything you might imagine. For example, I may never receive the miracle of arms and legs, but I have seen many times that I can be a miracle for someone else. Through my experiences, including the despair that led to my suicide attempt, I can relate to the struggles of others.
I can be the miracle that opens your eyes, inspires you, instills courage in heart, assures you that you are loved, and sends you forward to serve your purpose.
LOVE DRIVES FAITH INTO ACTION
Faith in action comes down to love. I love you so much that I care enough about you to serve you and help you and lend an ear, to inspire you and encourage you. It always comes back to love. We have the power to love without limits, and we need to activate that love, not just to fulfill our purpose, but to play a part in seeing the whole world come to a peace and fulfillment in life. If your journey starts and ends in love, I want to be a part of the God-given love to carry you through.
The apostle Paul said, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.… If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
In a world that can often seem callous and cruel, we tend to lose sight of the fact that God loves us. He sent His Son to pay the price and die for us. He is always there for us. When you know the strength of God, all you want to do is love Him and all those around you. You may forget that sometimes. I know I have. Yet I’ve found that when I’m most confused about God’s plan for me, when I’m seriously struggling to figure out what I should do to serve His purpose, He will place someone in my path or create a situation to reveal that purpose or to test whether I walk the talk. My experience with Felipe Camiroaga is one of the most recent and compelling examples of this.
For many years Felipe was the cohost of a television talk show in Chile that is as popular as The Oprah Winfrey Show was in the United States. He and Carolina de Moras hosted Chile’s longest-running talk show, Buenos Dias a Todos, which translates to “Good Morning, Everyone.” The show is the highest rated of all those broadcast on TVN, Chile’s state-owned television network. I was invited to appear on that show during my second visit to Chile in September 2011. The interview was supposed to last twenty minutes, which is long for a guest spot, especially when a translator is needed. Yet my visit with Felipe and Carolina went on for forty minutes, which is almost unheard of on such a show. Even better, from my perspective, was the fact that my hosts allowed me to speak at length about what my faith means to me and how I put that faith into action by traveling around the world as an evangelist and inspirational speaker. Felipe seemed intently interested in my message, which surprised me.
I did not know him well, but I was aware of his reputation as perhaps Chile’s most high-profile bachelor—a man whose love life had long been the subject of much interest in the media. Many people seemed to think of Felipe merely as a celebrity, but during our interview he asked serious questions about spiritual matters.
He asked me, for example, how I came to know God. I said it requires faith, which is the act of believing in something of which there is no physical proof. I spoke of my faith that Jesus is the path to heaven and eternal life. I also confessed to Carolina and Felipe and their television audience that I am a greedy person: ninety years on this earth is not long enough for me; I want to live forever in heaven. “But there is one thing better than going to heaven and that is to encourage at least one other person to go with me,” I said. “That is why I have strength. I keep a pair of shoes in my closet because I believe in miracles, but there is no greater miracle than seeing someone come to God. So pray for faith, and God will help you one day at a time.”
As I spoke, a wave of gratitude washed over me. I was grateful for being able to express my faith so openly and at such length on Felipe’s television show. I also noticed that Felipe seemed to be emotionally affected by my words. Tears welled up in his eyes. Carolina also seemed to be listening intently.
I’m
an evangelist, so naturally I took their interest as license to keep talking. When they asked if there were limits to my faith, I responded that while I cannot say everything is possible, “There are no limits to the joy and peace within me, no matter what happens to me.” I wish I could tell people that if they love God, everything will be okay. The truth is that people still suffer. They endure sickness, financial problems, broken relationships, and the loss of loved ones. Tragedies occur in every life, and I believe we are meant to learn from them. My hope is that when people who are in pain see that I have a joyful life, they will think, If Nick—without arms and legs—is thankful, then I will be thankful for today, and I will do my best.
I shared with Carolina and Felipe that I’d been through a rough patch a few months earlier (which I will write more about later). “I always know God is there, but He confuses me still at times. It is hard when you go through a valley. Just remember, ‘I’m going to learn something in this valley that I would not have otherwise learned, and I am who I am today because of what I have been through,’ ” I told them.
You, too, may have felt overwhelmed by events and confused about how something could possibly be part of God’s plan for you. As I said that day to my television hosts, it’s possible to get through even the darkest times by walking in faith one step at a time, knowing that every day, every breath, and every moment is a gift from God, being thankful all the time to Him. “The biggest danger is thinking you don’t need God,” I said.
All the time I was speaking, I kept marveling at the fact that no one was signaling for my hosts to cut me off, thank me, and send me packing. At one point Felipe brought out a soccer ball and asked me to demonstrate my world-class soccer skills, which, you can imagine, are pretty much limited to head shots and small chips.