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A Remarkable Story of Gods Grace It says in James 1:2, Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials

of many kinds.

It seemed like a tall order to count hurt, pain and struggle as nothing but pure joy when Nick birth date arrived. The parents of Nick were Christians; his Dad was even a Pastor of their church, so that verse was quite familiar to them. However, on the morning of December 4th , 1982, in Melbourne, Australia, the last two words on the minds of his parents was Praise God!. Their firstborn son had been born without limbs! There were no warnings or time to prepare themselves for it. Having no answers at all, the doctors were completely shocked and taken off guard! The whole church mourned over his birth and his parents were absolutely devastated. If God is a God of love, they questioned, Then why would He let something like this happen, and especially to committed Christians? His Dad did not think he would survive for very long. But, tests proved that he was a healthy baby boy with just one hitch, hed been born without any limbs. Understandably, his parents had strong concern and evident fears of what kind of life he would be able to lead. The first big problem was for his parents to be at peace, trusting that God was still fully in control. It took a number of months and a lot of tears, questions and grief before coming to terms within their own hearts. God provided them with the strength, wisdom and courage they would need through those early years. Soon after that, Nick was old enough to go to school.

School was really enjoyable for Nick and he really tried to live life like everyone else. But, it was in his early years of school where he encountered uncomfortable times of feeling rejected, weird and bullied because of his physical difference. It was very hard for him to get used to. In spite of this, with the support of his parents, he started to develop attitudes and values which helped him overcome those challenging times. Though Nick knew he was different, on the inside, he was just like everyone else. There were many times when he felt so low that he wouldnt go to school in order to avoid all the negative attention. With encouragement from his parents, he began to ignore the bullies and tried to start making friends by just talking with some of the kids. Soon the students realized that he was just like them. Starting there, God began to bless him with new friends! Many times Nick felt depressed and angry because he couldnt change the way he was, or blame anyone for that matter. In Sunday school, he learned that God loves us all and that He cares for us deeply. At that stage in my childhood, he could understand His love to a point. But, as you can imagine, he still got hung up on that fact that if He really loved him, why did He make him like this? Nick wondered if hed done something wrong and began to feel certain that this must be true. Otherwise, he thought, God wouldnt have made him the only weird one out of all the kids at school. Feeling he was a burden to those around him, he sensed the sooner hed just go away altogether, the better it would be for everyone. So, at a young age, Nick wanted to end his pain and his life. But his thankful, once again, for his parents and his family who were always there to comfort him and lend him their strength. Thankfully, a real turning point arrived!

Due to the emotional struggles Nick had experienced with bullying, self-esteem and loneliness, God began to instill a passion of sharing his story and experiences to help others cope with whatever challenge they might have in their lives. Turning his struggles into something that would glorify God and bless others, he

realized his purpose! The Lord was going to use him to encourage and inspire others to live to their fullest potential and not let anything get in the way of accomplishing their hopes and dreams.

As Nick grew older, God continued to prepare his heart and teach him to seek Him. One of the first lessons that he have learned was not to take things for granted. With a wake-up call around the age of twelve, he realized just how much God had blessed him. His foot, what he has termed his little chicken bone he had been taking for granted. But it serves him well. God had freely given to him and so much with his loving family, and so many other blessings, he realized Why should he still complain? God directed him to Romans 8:28 and there he found this, And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him. Wow! That verse really spoke to his heart. It convicted him to the point where his confident that theres no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence and that these bad things happen in our life to make us more like Christ. In James 1:3 & 4, it reads, know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Enlightened through Gods Word, Nick felt complete peace rush in, knowing that God will not let anything happen to us unless He has a good purpose for it. At the age of 15, he completely gave his life to Christ after reading John 9. In this chapter, Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was so that the works of God may be revealed through Him. Nick truly believed that God would heal him so he could be a great testimony of His awesome power. As he grew in Christ and in spiritual maturity, the Lord gave him the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something within His will, it will happen, but in His timing not ours. And likewise, if our prayers are not within Gods will, then Nick know that He has something better. His purpose became clearer to Nick and now he fully convinced and understands that Gods glory is revealed as He uses him just the way he was. And even more wonderful, He can use him in ways others cant be used.

Now Nick is twenty-seven years old, he had completed a Bachelors Degree in both Financ ial Planning and Accounting. Also, hes active as a motivational speaker. Again, his number one passion is for souls. He just loves to go out and share his story and testimony wherever opportunities become available. Over time, he had developed messages that relate to and encourage students through topics that challenge todays teenagers. The Lord has used him to speak in the corporate sector as well. In recent years, he had learned to become independent and can now take care of all his personal needs. He was able to do everything from brushing his teeth and combing his hair to dressing up and taking care of his personal hygiene, including shaving. Nick gets around the house by jumping around and, outside the house; an electric wheelchair assists him. For recreation, he enjoys swimming, fishing and playing soccer. God has a purpose of all things. To God Be the Glory!

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