An Answered Prayer

An Answered Prayer
Bonnie St. John
And he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) In the church I attend, the pastor always stops at one point in the service to ask the congregation if we have praises or requests to share. It seems that every Sunday, there are people who ask us to join them in praying for a friend or family member struggling with some sort of physical ailment.
"Please pray for my Aunt Jenny who was in a car accident last week. Pray that she won't have to have her leg amputated."
"My friend at work, his son has cancer. Please pray for healing and courage."
"My wife has macular degeneration. Her eyesight is slowing fading. Pray that the doctors can stop the spread of the disease."
We all want these physical calamities to be healed so that our loved ones do not have to suffer the pain, the discomfort, and the long-term, day-to-day indignities of life with a disability. No one would wish a physical disability on anyone else. We pray that God could give our loved one an easier life.
My mother must have felt this way when the doctor told her, shortly after I was born, that my right leg would not grow normally.
"I recommend that you amputate the leg as soon as possible," he told her.
My mother prayed that there would be another solution besides disfiguring her baby--a baby who looked so fragile and so perfect. She actively searched for any alternatives. She fitted me with orthopedic braces and shoes. She consulted doctor after doctor. But most of all, she continued praying.
When I reached age five, she finally capitulated to the inevitable and agreed to let go of my emaciated limb.
Should she conclude that her prayers were not answered? Should all of us who pray every Sunday for healing, remission, and miracle cures be disappointed with God when things don't go the way we think they should?
If only my mother could have known how things would turn out! How could she have any idea that her one-legged daughter from San Diego would become the first African-American to win Olympic or Paralympic medals in ski racing, of all sports!?!
Yes, you heard that right: a black, one-legged girl who grew up in San Diego with no snow turned into a world class ski racer winning two bronze medals and the silver for overall performance in the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria - and made African-American history in the process. My "disability" has opened so many doors and created so many opportunities for me that I couldn't possibly describe them all here. As just one example, I have been invited to be a part of the official Presidential delegation to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympics! I will once again have the honor of representing my country at the Olympics, 26 years after my performance as an athlete.
So many of us enjoyed watching the perfection of human physical performance in Winter Olympic competition in Canada, but fewer people are aware that the Paralympics are beginning, in the same Vancouver ice rinks, ski slopes and bobsled runs, on March 12th. While the athletes are far less perfect--missing arms and legs, paralyzed and blind--their performances are perhaps more astoundingly poignant and beautiful for that very reason.
At disabled sports competitions, I have always felt as though I have stumbled upon a place where Jesus has recently passed through. Looking around you, it seems that miraculous healing has occurred. Blind racers ski at 50 miles per hour around the red and blue gates, paralyzed men in low-profile sleds aggressively play hockey, and women with no arms speed by on Nordic skis. These extraordinary people have not just escaped their fate of disability, but stand as incredible examples of our ability, with faith, to transcend disability itself.
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
If you want to see the hand of God at work, go online and watch the Paralympic events if you can't get them through your local TV provider. You will be amazed. And, you will be reminded of what God can do in your life, if you will give up your "brokenness" to Him.
Now, I work as a full time inspirational writer, speaker, and trainer...boasting of my disabilities and how God has shown his strength in my weakness. Indeed, "I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Every day, know that your prayers will be answered - even if that answer is sometimes not the answer you would have preferred. Perhaps you or a loved one may have to endure more than you think you can. But if you will put your suffering on the altar and let Him take control, conquering your challenges can be not only proof of His strength, but a shining light to others who stand in need.