The Seed of a Vision Planted in the Soil of Adversity

Imagine getting through your busy day without arms or legs. Picture your life without the ability to walk, care for your basic needs, or embrace those you love.

Meet Nick Vujicic. Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1982 without arms or legs. Nick faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, especially in his early years. Like most children, Nick faced the ordinary challenges of school and adolescence, but unlike most kids, he also struggled with depression and loneliness. He wondered why he was different. He questioned his purpose in life.

Many people would consider Nick’s life a tragic accident. They might ask, “Why would God allow someone to be born without arms or legs? What purpose could that possibly serve?”

But God is a master gardener. In fact, the history of man begins in a garden ‒ the Garden of Eden. When God created each of us, He planted the seed of a vision in our heart and has been cultivating it throughout our lifetime. No one is an accident. The environment we are born into is not an accident. The way we are created is not an accident. The passion that drives us, motivates and propels us is not an accident. It was planted in the soil of our life by God. Long before we were conceived, God knew the exact conditions for our life. He knew what the soil of our family was comprised of, whether it was nurturing and fertile soil, hardened clay, or shifting sand. He knew the kind of heart we would have. What our personality would be like. What abilities we would have. What experiences we would go through. And He knew what spiritual gifts He would give each of us. Into that soil, the soil of our life, He planted the seed of a vision; a vision that could only grow and flourish in those exact conditions.

Psalm 139 reminds us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In fact, in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we learn that we are made in God’s image. We are made in the very image of our Creator; the One who spoke all things into existence and sustains them by the word of His power. Is it any wonder we are blessed with such an amazing God-given gift to imagine? To dream? To create? To see things that don’t exist and transform them into reality? Imagination is powerful. It is the catalyst for vision. And vision is the catalyst for creation. Vision is futuristic. Vision sees things that are in the distance and transcends circumstances. We are wired in such a way that we move in the direction of what we see. When we fix our eyes on something in the distance we move in its direction.

Living a life built on purpose begins with an understanding of why God created you and what He created you to do. It begins with discovering the vision God planted in the soil of your life.

Nick found his purpose and the vision God gave him to pursue. He did not let the fact that he was born different limit his belief in what God could do through him. He sought God first and found Him. Then, he discovered the wonderfully unique vision God planted in his life.

Today, Nick Vujicic travels around the world, sharing his story with millions, sometimes in stadiums filled to capacity, speaking to a range of diverse groups. He is a dynamic young evangelist who has already accomplished more than most people achieve in a lifetime. He is an author, musician, and actor. His hobbies include fishing, painting and swimming. In 2007, Nick made the long journey from Australia to southern California where he is the president of the international non-profit ministry, Life Without Limbs, established in 2005.

Nick says, “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”

 What’s your vision? 

Discover it today and get started on an exciting, life changing journey transforming it into reality.

George Nicholson is the author of Built on Purpose: Discover Your Life’s Vision and Transform It into Reality.