Why God made me without limbs —Nick Vujicic

IMAGINE being born without arms. No arms to wrap around a friend ; no hands to hold the ones you love; no fingers to experience touch ; no way to lift or carry things. How much more difficult would life be if you were living without arms and hands?

Or what about legs? Imagine if instead of no arms, you had no legs. No ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand. Now put both of those scenarios together… no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that affect your everyday life? 

Meet   Nick   Vujicic, pronounced   ‘Vooy-cheech’. Born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia, without any medical explanation or warning,

Nicholas Vujicic came into the world with neither arms nor legs. Imagine the shock his parents felt when they saw their first-born brand new baby boy for the first time, only to find he was what the world would consider imperfect and abnormal. A limbless son was not what nurse Dushka Vujicic, and her husband Pastor Boris Vujicic had been expecting. How would their son live a normal happy life? What could he ever do or become when living with such a massive disability? Little did they or anyone else know that this beautiful limbless baby would one day be someone who would inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. God uses Nick to touch lives and bring the hope of Jesus Christ to people across the globe.

Throughout  his childhood, Nick dealt not only with the typical challenges of school and adolescence such as bullying and self-esteem issues; but also struggled with depression and loneliness. He constantly questioned why he was different than all the other kids surrounding him; why he was the one born without arms and legs. 

He wondered what the purpose behind his life was, or if he even had a purpose. According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as the strength and passion he has for life can be credited to his faith in God. His family, friends and the many people he has encountered along the way have also encouraged him. After school, Nick went on with further study and obtained a double Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Accounting and Financial Planning from Griffith University in Logan, Australia. 

By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfill his dream of being able to encourage other people and bring them the gospel of Jesus through motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life and gave him a future and a hope. “I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire.” Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we each encounter in our lives, and that our attitude towards those struggles, along with our faith and trust in the Lord can be the keys to overcoming the challenges we face.

Today, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people accomplish in a lifetime. Nick made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA in 2007, where he is the President and CEO of a non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Since his first speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has travelled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes.

He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”

Speaking at Pastor Rick Warren’s church in Lake Forest on Sunday evening, the inspirational speaker said he spent eight years asking God, “Why? Why was I born this way? I don’t understand how can You say You love me when You allow me to stay in this pain.”

Vujicic, who has been living in California since 2007, was born in Brisbane, Australia. His parents - Pastor Boris Vujicic and nurse Dushka Vujicic - were not given any medical explanation or warning about his birth with neither arms nor legs. But Nick got the answer to his desperate prayers.

John 9:1-3 spoke to him in a special way. The New Testament portion reads: “As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”

The Life Without Limbs author described his feelings after reading these verses. “I got goose bumps on my skin I don’t even have,” he told the congregants. “And I had faith because I understood something. You see, all I wanted to know was that God knew what He was doing with me.”

By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfil his dream of being able to encourage other people and bring them the Gospel of Jesus through motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life and gave him a future and a hope.

The desire to have arms and legs has remained, Vujicic admitted. Initially, he thought, “Lord, if you give me arms and legs, I’ll go around the world and share your power with the world.” He said he still has ups and downs in life. “I am just like you.” Vujicic said he has failed God every single day, but has relied on Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day
of Christ Jesus.”

Vujicic recalled he and dozens of his Christian friends once prayed for 90 minutes for his arms and legs in a farm in a jungle in India. They made arms and legs with clay, and prayed it turn into flesh and bone. It didn’t happen, but he had peace in his heart as he saw an eagle soaring in the sky throughout those 90 minutes. He said it was as if God was smiling, and was happy he had the faith to pray. “Please give me arms and legs. But if You don’t give me arms and legs, I trust You.” This has been Vujicic’s prayer. He said his commitment to Jesus is “to want His plan, and not my plan ... even when I don’t understand.”

You are praying for something, but what if God says “no” to that? he asked. “Is He still God? Yes. Will He waste your pain? No.” He quoted Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Vujicic, who has travelled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, said he’s grateful to God for saving him from the two biggest disabilities: sin and death. He said when he was 10 he wanted to commit suicide, and wanted to see someone like him so that he wouldn’t be alone. Five years ago in California, he finally met a baby named Daniel, who too was born without arms and legs ... “exactly like me.” “Not getting a miracle, I can be a miracle to Daniel ... an older brother of Daniel his whole life ... encourage him.”

Nick said if he truly lived without arms and legs throughout his life “just so I can hug Daniel in heaven, it’s all worth it.” “I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire,” he says on his ministry’s website. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”