Nick Vujicic goes out on a limb

Imagine being born without any arms… that would make simple things like cleaning your teeth pretty tricky. I broke my shoulder a couple of years ago and was amazed how difficult everything was with just my right arm out of action.

Now imagine being born without any arms or legs… Well that’s what happened to Nick Vujicic, who was born with a rare condition called tetra-amelia syndrome.

In place of his legs was a small foot with two toes, which allowed him to learn a number of key skills as he grew up, but early life was extremely tough for the young Australian.

Struggling to perform the mundane tasks most people do without a second thought, Nick was bullied mercilessly and became very depressed. In fact, he tells me in an interview for Sorted that he was so down as a child he became suicidal, and if it hadn't been for his parents’ deep love for him and his for them, he would have taken his own life at the age of ten.

How would he ever get a job? Or have a family? What was the point in going on?

But life certainly wasn't over for Nick; it turns out there were lots of reasons to keep going. Ever done a skydive? Nick has. Ever travelled to 44 countries to share your story with millions of people? Nick has. Ever set up your own company or written a series of books? The list of what Nick has achieved just goes on and on.

I first saw this guy on Russell Howard’s Good News. He appeared in the end section, when Russ picks his favourite good news story of the week and shares it with his viewers. In the clip he showed, Nick was speaking to a group of school kids. They were captivated and visibly moved by his courage and by his humour; it was pretty hard not to be.

What the Youtube clip (well worth a watch) didn't explain, though, was that it was Nick’s relationship with God that changed his early outlook and the way he lives his life. At the age of 13, he sprained his foot playing football and had to stay in bed for several weeks. It was at this point that he decided to focus on the things he had rather than the things he didn't have. He started to see life differently.

His parents were Christians, but Nick had always found it difficult to believe that a loving God could allow this to happen to him. He blamed God for his physical and emotional pain and couldn't accept that He could possibly have a plan for his life; everything was such a challenge.

It wasn't until he turned 15 that his heart towards God changed. He found himself saying: “Here I am God, use me. If you want to give me arms and legs, great. If not, use me anyway.” He felt God had lifted away the fear, sin and shame that had hung over him all his life and that he suddenly had fresh hope.

He discovered that he had a gift for motivational speaking and, while his physical condition is still problematic, he refuses to stop him doing the things he loves doing. “God is not the author of pain, but what the enemy tried to use for evil, God has used for good,” Nick explains.

He is now enjoying a fantastic career, feels he is living out the plan God has for him, and is about to have a baby with his beautiful wife. Thank goodness he didn't end his life as a child!

That’s not to say life has been a piece of cake for Nick.

He shared with me that he had been through a time of depression between 2007 and 2010 after a business venture fell through and he experienced a burnout. It reminded him that he can’t do everything in his own strength; that it is God’s strength that keeps him going. “We need to be carried by God,” he explains. “It’s about knowing Him.”

I ask him what he would say to people who make excuses in their own lives about the things they can and can’t do.

“Life is meant to be enjoyed; a lot of people rob themselves because of fear,” he concludes. 

“You don’t know what you can achieve until you try it. Fear disables people more than having no arms and no legs.”

Read the full interview in the next issue of Sorted magazine.

I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth… So help me God!

A study from Essex University suggests the British have become less honest in the last decade and einsurancegroup.co.uk claims we lie six times a day, on average.

The insurance firm challenged fellow Bristolian Jamie Donald to take up the ‘integrity challenge’. He was asked to keep a diary for a week to show whether he was able to tell the truth and only the truth.

  

Monday 

I had a difficult conversation with my dad in which I had to be honest and tell him I didn’t want to attend a family funeral. Usually I would have lied to protect his feelings and now I feel incredibly bad for causing him unnecessary hurt.

My evening was spent avoiding people that I’d rather not have similar uncomfortable conversations with. Just one day in and already being honest has changed the conversations I have with people and who I want to talk to.

Tuesday
It’s lunchtime and I’m sat in work eating my sandwich when a colleague who is unaware of my truth challenge asks “Do you like me?”. Luckily I do, and answer “Yes”. Thankfully it wasn’t someone I didn’t like that asked.

Later that evening my wife shows me some clothes she has bought. I know what’s coming, but it’s still painful when she asks if I like her purchases. “No” I tell her, “sorry, I don’t actually like any of it”. I go to bed on the sofa wondering if honesty really is the best policy. 

Wednesday

I attend a pub quiz where we receive our lowest ever score after marking all our answers honestly. It’s a real eye-opener to see just how relaxed people are with being so brazenly dishonest.

Thursday

So far this week I have been able to pass off sharp comments as a joke. However, this evening I upset a close friend that asked for my thoughts on a change of appearance. I’m increasingly of the opinion that some people expect to be lied to and welcome it on occasion. The honesty baton is beginning to become a heavy burden.

Friday
I am managing my employers Truth or Dare campaign that rewards honest drivers. As part of this project I provide everyone with a completely honest expectation on delivery dates. Everyone responds much better than I expected.

I am no longer staying on the sofa after a phone call with my wife, during which she thanks me for being upfront with her and apologises for the argument. I begin to sense that my week of honesty is now paying off on both a personal and professional level.

My optimism evaporates when my wife calls again to ask if I mind the in-laws coming to stay at the weekend. I use every conversation trick I’ve picked up this week to avoid lying without causing offense. I say “It’s quite short notice”, and the wife answers with “It’s only a few days”. I respond with “Ok”. My chastity belt of honesty remains intact.

Saturday and Sunday

I begin and end this weekend tiptoeing around the in-laws, and careful sentence construction is sorely needed. By Sunday, my honesty nerves are fraying and I feel myself becoming increasingly blunt.

As I end this challenge I am glad to have achieved a week of honesty, but the last seven days have been incredibly difficult, with the most simple of conversations proving to be potential banana skins.

Pants on fire

I wonder what would happen if we were all to take the same challenge. I know I’d find it difficult. It’s hard telling people things they clearly don’t want to hear.

But I’m also convinced that the truth sets us free (John 8:32). A few weeks back I bumped another car. It was dark and there was no-one else around and I’m ashamed to admit my first thought was to drive on. The car was an old banger after all…

I knew that I couldn’t do that, so I left an apologetic note on the windscreen. I can’t promise I wasn’t hoping for heavy rain or that it would somehow blow away, but my conscience was eased. The next day I got a call from the car owner who said he was really touched by my honesty and that I should forget all about it. I was so grateful and glad I’d owned up. I even got a chance to take him some M&S goodies and invite him to the Easter service at my church.

This confirmed to me that it’s not always the easiest or most natural thing to do, but telling the truth (in love) is definitely the way forward.

Read more from Joy in the upcoming issue of Sorted magazine. Our Father's Day special is out now and you can buy 50 copies for just £50!!