His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He
can't bathe himself. He can't feed himself. He can't brush his teeth, comb his
hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by strips of
Velcro'. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette.
Robert has cerebral palsy.
The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a
bike, and going for a walk. But it didn't keep him from graduating from high
school or attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduated with a
degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn't keep him from teaching at a St.
Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five mission trips.
And Robert's disease didn't prevent him from becoming
a missionary in Portugal.
He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a
hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would
feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language.
Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he
distributed brochures about Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to
the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.
I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men
carry him in his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his
lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I watched people in
the audience wipe away tears of admiration from their faces. Robert could have
asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand
up in the air and boasted, "I have everything I need for joy."
His shirts are held together by Velcro', but his life
is held together by joy.
The Applause of Heaven
copyright [Word Publishing, 1996] Max Lucado, p. 5, 6.
Used by permission
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