Holding on to Hope

Stories of individuals like Joni Eareckson Tada and Nick Vujicic are stories that fill us with hope. These two individuals are both physically challenged individuals. Joni was an athletic girl who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but she became a quadriplegic (paralyzed from shoulders down to her feet) when she was only 17 years old after a diving accident. Nick Vujicic (pronounced as Voy-a-chich), who hails from Australia, was born without arms and legs, without limbs. Both are physically challenged and have to depend on caregivers to help them with their basic functions in life, but both are able to share to millions of people around the world their message of hope and triumph over adversity.

These two individuals are both gifted and intelligent persons who may have been limited in their movements in a lot of ways by their physical disabilities, but their message of hope reaches out to millions of individuals, each one having some kind of struggle and suffering in life.

What is their message of hope? It is the message that is inevitably linked with faith in God. Nick Vujicic defines faith in his autobiography Life Without Limits as “full assurance in the heart”. It is the hope that God has a purpose for everything and He has a plan for our lives. Hope means trusting that God will give us the strength to endure and be patient in affliction. To hope is to trust in the unfailing goodness and love of God and in His faithfulness, which means that He can see us through in life if we call on Him and depend on His constant help.

The message of hope that people like Joni Tada and Nick Vujicic shares to the world is different from the optimism of the atheist who only believes in human capability and strength of will to conquer the odds in life and society. The atheist hopes for a more progressive society through sheer human efforts alone. The hope of a believer in God has a supernatural dimension, which includes the hope of heaven, the hope of redemption of this groaning planet, the hope of resurrection from the dead, and the hope that God will renew the face of the earth and wipe every tear from one’s eyes.

We can imagine the anguish and longings that Joni Eareckson Tada and Nick Vujicic had experienced. Joni made the following confession in her devotional book God’s Tender Care:

I can’t tell you how much sorrow I’ve held at bay over the years. Tears could come easily if I allowed myself to think of all the pleasures of movement and sensation I’ve missed. Diving into a pool and feeling my arms and legs slice through the water. Plucking guitar strings with my fingers. Jogging till my muscles burn. To think that one day we shall hear these words uttered that haven’t been spoken since Adam was thrust out of Eden: “There shall be no more sorrow.”

Nick Vujicic, on the other hand, prayed many times when he was a child for God to give him arms and legs, not understanding God’s purpose or reason why he was born without limbs. He did not understand it before when he was growing up, but as he became a motivational speaker traveling to different countries to inspire and motivate people, he came to realize part of God’s plan for him, if not the whole of it. Nick underwent dark thoughts, doubts, and despair that he even attempted to commit suicide in a bathtub when he was ten years old, but the thought of his parents and siblings grieving over his loss of hope at his grave prevented him from really committing suicide. He was filled with thoughts about his future like who would want to marry him? Will people accept him for a job? He anguished at the thought that he will not be able to hold his wife or hold his children in his arms.

These two individuals yet proved that much can be achieved in life despite their physical limitations. Nick Vujicic can swim, skateboard, and use his specially built wheeled chair to move himself around. Joni was quadriplegic, but she painted using her mouth, composed and recorded beautiful songs, spoke around the world, and produced devotional books. They are both examples of living hope, of the hope that someday, they will be made whole and enjoy what they have been deprived of in this life.

We, too, can have hope in God’s unfailing goodness and love and in His faithfulness. We, too, can hope in His wise and loving plans for us, and hold on to His promises in our lives. Hope is what can get us going through the vicissitudes and uncertainties of this life, constantly remembering that He is with us always until the end of the age.

About the author: Belinda F. Espiritu is a faculty member of the University of the Philippines Cebu. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature and a PhD degree in Communication. She would like to hear from the readers about their feedback or comments on her articles through her email address: belinda.espiritu@gmail.com to set a conversation going even after her articles have been published.