Before I continue my two part post, I find it crucial to explain some of the challenges that I have faced over the last 23 years. As you read this, I ask that you not take pity on me or feel bad. For the purpose of writing this is to glorify God and help you better understand His involvement in my life!
Early on a February morning in 1989, my twin sister, Brooke, and I were born. As my mother’s pregnancy had gone smoothly, Brooke was born with out an complications. Myself, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Sometime after the last ultrasound, my body shifted in to a position that is not ideal to be in during the birthing process. Because I was bent in half, the oxygen to my brain was cut off. As a result of this, ended up with a disability called Cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy affects how the brain communicates with the muscles in the body and can be coupled with a learning disability. However, my severity level is purely physical.
Although, Cerebral palsy can be a royal pain at times, I very rarely let it keep me from doing what I really want to do. I lived a pretty normal life. I hung out with the mainstream kids, ran track, moved away from home to attend you college and things of that nature. However, we all have those times in our lives when we ask “why me?” Up until my first year at George Fox University, I always answered this with “because this is how God made me.” This answer always lead to more questions, such as “I thought God made everything perfect, through?” Yes, sin is the reason that the world is screwed-up but when the disciples asked Jesus who’s sin made the man this way, referring to a disabled man, his or his parents? Jesus replied by saying neither. It wasn’t until I met a men by the name of Dr. Irv Brendlinger that I was finally able to lay this matter to rest. Being the one of the smartest, and most kind professors I have ever met, I came to Irv with this personal issue. After an hour of talking, reading scripture and famous theologians, we decided that God does make everything perfect but allows mistakes to happen. He then uses these mistakes to accomplish his plan in a different manner.
I’m so thankful that God brought Irv into my life to help me understand that God didn’t make me this way but is using a human mistake to work in and through my life! It’s awesome that we have such a flexible and creative Lord! In part two of “The light unto my path”, we’ll see how God has recently used my disability to work in my life!