The Second Greatest Gift We Can Receive in this Life

7-10Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

~2 Corinthians 12:7-10 from The Message

I like this version because Paul refers to his handicap as a gift. I know that our disabilities and limitations are a gift from God to keep us humble and dependent on Him. How often do we pray selfish prayers and ask God to remove pain and other hardship from our lives? God says, I am enough, I am enough. I AM ENOUGH. He wants to take over every area of our hearts and lives. We must fight against our flesh daily.

When we are weak and allow God to take over, that’s when the transformation begins. I have learned this great lesson from people with disabilities. We have been talking about being strong at The Able Church. The theme for Camp Daniel this summer is "I Am Strong". I am blessed to be around people with disabilities on a daily basis.

I love it when Paul refers to his handicap as a gift because people with disabilities are a gift. Their weaknesses bring them to their knees before God. They can't do anything BUT look to God for strength. I continue to be in awe of their readiness and willingness to do this. We don't do that because we have so much stuff in the way. As a body, we need to start spending time with people with disabilities and learning from them. That is why people with disabilities are a vital part of the body of Christ. They are going to teach us how to get on our knees before the Lord, how to trust God, and how to come before God with a truly simple and childlike faith.

Once Paul heard from the Lord "I Am Enough," he saw his weaknesses as a gift. I don't see people with disabilities as disabled. I see them as my brothers and sisters, my friends, my teachers. That is how we will all see them as we spend time with them. We need to come to the realization that people with disabilities are a GIFT, and we need to open our eyes to see the important things they bring to the body of Christ. The first important gift you can receive is your salvation. The second greatest gift you can receive in this life is from people with disabilities.