“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”
2 Corinthians 4:16
There are millions of physically handicapped individuals who, because of their society’s concept of potential, have resigned themselves to a life of self-pity, depression and isolation. There are many
who have confused their bodies with their true selves. They have mistaken the “house” for the “resident.”
But history gives ample evidence of thousands who have freed themselves of the myth that their bodies should dictate their true potential. They have defied the limitations of their “dirt houses” and soared to the unlimited heights of their soul’s and spirit’s potential.
Many have turned their wheelchairs into the cockpits of jetliners as they explored the heights of their capabilities. Other have used their walking canes to pole-vault them into positions that changed the world. Some transformed their world of silence to produce sounds that many are enjoying today. Still others have used their blindness to see beyond the physical. They have captured sights others long to see. Helen Keller refused to be blinded by others’ opinions of her ability—she changed the attitude of the world. Sir Winston Churc – hill refused to be muted by his speech impediment and physical handicap while a member of the British Parliament and later the Prime Minister of Britain, he delivered some of history’s most lifechanging orations.
What is your handicap? Is it a wheelchair, a bed, a walker, the socio-economic status of your family, or the color of your skin? Is it the ghetto, your parents’ lifestyle, the level of your education, or a terminal illness? Are you disabled by divorce, the absence of your parents, incest, or child abuse? Are you blind or deaf? Do you have a speech impediment or a poor self-esteem? Whatever your perceived handicap may be, you must never allow your true potential to become a victim of the limitations of your physical body or your environment. Reach beyond your grasp. Your body is not your full potential.
Do not allow your true potential to become a victim of the limitations of your physical body or environment.
