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18 Life Without Limits

I moved into my teen years, I gradually won acceptance, first from
myself and then from others.
Everyone goes through times when they feel excluded, alienated,
or unloved. We all have our insecurities. Most kids fear they’ll be
mocked because their noses are too big or their hair is too curly.
Adults fear that they won’t be able to pay the bills or that they will
fail to live up to expectations.
You will face moments of doubt and fear. We all do. Feeling
down is natural; it is part of being perfectly human. Such feelings
pose a danger only if you allow negative thoughts to stick around
instead of just letting them wash over you.
When you trust that you have blessings—talents, knowledge,
love—to share with others, you will begin the journey to self accep-
tance even if your gifts are not yet apparent. Once you begin that
walk, others will find you and walk with you.

sPEAkING uP

I found the path to my purpose while trying to reach out to my
classmates. If you’ve ever had to be the new kid in the corner,
eating lunch all by yourself, I’m sure you understand that being the
new kid in the corner in a wheelchair could be all the more diffi-
cult. Our moves from Melbourne to Brisbane, to the United States,
and back to Brisbane forced me to make adjustments that added to
my challenges.
My new classmates often assumed I was mentally as well as
physically disabled. They usually kept their distance unless I sum-
moned the courage to strike up conversations in the lunchroom or
in the hallway. The more I did this, the more they accepted that I
really wasn’t an alien dropped into their midst.
Sometimes, you see, God expects you to help out with the heavy
lifting. You can wish. You can dream. You can hope. But you must

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