God’s Glory

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

My disability seemed to make the path to spiritual growth less accessible. I never received miraculous healing. Frantic prayers, loud praying in tongues, laying on of hands, visions of me walking, and others' convictions that I would be healed never resulted in a miracle. In one service, I was dragged onto the dusty floor while people chanted for me to “rise and dance.” My failure to dance was rebuked as a lack of faith. I resolved then to depend on God more and stop seeking miracles so I would never be made an object of ridicule again.

Constant interaction with others who wanted to see me healed caused me to wonder if my decision to stop seeking miracles had been a wise one. I sought confirmation from God’s Word that my stance was not due to a lack of faith. Second Corinthians 4:17: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all,” seemed to directly address and reassure my doubting mind. I finally began to understand that suffering had a purpose.

Years later, when I became a television anchor person, I began to see how my voice counted. Parents wrote in, called, or visited in person to let me know that I was a role model to them and their children living with disabilities. This was God’s visible answer to my question, “Why me?”

I was also asked to appear on the radio show Role Models which aired throughout the country. When we recorded the casual conversation with the presenter, I responded to questions about my life with unbridled honesty. I was learning my story could bring glory to God by bringing hope and purpose to the listeners. My struggle with suffering and disability gave me the opportunity to tell the world how Jesus had poured out grace on me, taking me from despair to shining hope.

Reflection

Are there areas of your life or in the lives of those you love that cause you to question: “Why me/them?” Ask God to glorify himself in those areas and to give you the courage to wait for him to reveal it to you.

This devotional is drawn from the Oasis book by Hilda Bih Muluh The Girl with Special Shoes. Do you want to learn more about how disability is not inability and how God uses our pain for his glory? Read the whole book.