For Lord’s Day, September 28, 2014

Dear Saints,

Recently, Elder Renner shared with me a video about gymnast, Jennifer Bricker, and her incredible life achievements.  What is most surprising and thus most impressive about her life is what might have curtailed her dream of being a champion gymnast: she was born without legs.

So how did Miss Bricker overcome her pretty significant natural obstacle? The love of her adoptive parents, and their one simple rule they required of her: never say the word, “can’t”.  Or, as she put it, “Can’t is not part of your vocabulary.” So what must she say, or live, instead? “I can”.

Here’s a video interview about her story (naturally, we regret and grieve the breaking of the Third Commandment late in the interview):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t6ybW6NNoc

What a wonderful and inspiring example for we Christians to apply to ourselves so that we apply ourselves to Philippians 4:13:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

The context of this verse, as you know, is to not worry and to be content in all situations.  Certainly, in this amazing woman’s situation, it would have been tempting to let fear and worry and self pity be paralyzing all her life.  But it wasn’t, because she insisted on moving forward and living.  May you and I be motivated by Miss Bricker and cut out the “‘t’s” and focus instead on consistently putting together “c” “a” “n”. Especially in living a good, peaceful, and moral life in and by and for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Semper Reformanda,

Pastor Grant

PS: With a young and aspiring gymnast in our own house, we recently watched the “Gabby Douglas Story”.  While this Olympic Gold Medalist had different challenges, they were similarly hindering and potentially crippling in realizing her dream, had she not had a very similar family and personal resolve that also produced remarkable results.