This is Nick

If I was to describe Nick Vujicic in one word I would choose joy. Nick is the most joyful person I know and yet he has no arms or legs. When I first saw him about ten years ago I felt so sorry for him and so humbled as I thought about the things that I take for granted. But by the time he had finished talking to us I didn’t feel sorry for him. Not just because pity was clearly the absolute last thing he wanted, but simply because Nick radiates joy that is so real that it’s infectious. Everyone there had a smile on their face as we listened to him because he was so genuinely joyful. This was no ‘performance’, no stage managed saccharine happiness, there was such an authenticity and naturalness about his joy – it rubbed off on all of us and there was nothing remotely heavy or intense about being with him or listening to him tell his story. It was totally inspiring.

So I no longer feel sorry for Nick. But I do remain deeply humbled. Nick would be the first to say that his joy is a gift from God. By definition, gifts are unearned; Nick would not want to take credit. He is one of those people who give you such a glimpse of Jesus. So if it’s all about God and not about some superhuman extraordinary quality of Nick’s, why do I feel humbled by him? Because I think I am coming to realise that only someone who has trusted God so deeply with their questions in the darkest moments of life (and we all have them) can emerge that radiant. Nick tried to end his life at the age of eight. He was not born joyful. His parents and those around him were not able to somehow give him unwavering acceptance, and assurance that all would be well. But at the age of fifteen he decided to deeply trust God with the burning question of his childhood, ‘why did you let me be born this way?’ I am humbled because I’ve had thirty years since my fifteenth birthday and I have not yet come close to trusting God like he has. But Nick inspires me that I can. In this video Nick tells a bit of his story.