入圍
姓  名 江亘婷 學  校 國立彰化女子高級中學 年  級 二 年 十三 班

 

 

Life Without Limits

What makes a person extraordinary? Is it their abilities? Their talents? Or, is it just simply based on their unfailing smile? Nick Vujicic, a man born with the absence of all four limbs, refuses to dwell on his physical defect or panic himself as the forsaken child of God. Instead, he smiles brilliantly as if he has faith to conquer everything and jokes around as though he has nothing to worry about.

As is described in Life Without Limits, exceptionally optimistic as Nick is, he still shares the tragic stories of how he had suffered and even attempted to commit suicide when he was very young. At that time, Nick often felt that God had treated him unfairly. “Why did you take away my arms and legs? Why didn’t you give me what everybody else has?” He doubted about all the differences between him and his playmates. Nevertheless, his mother told him resolutely, “Nicholas, you need to play with normal children because you are normal. You just have a few bits and pieces missing, that’s all.” How impressing this quote is to a deficient broken heart, knowing that what matters most isn’t a person’s inadequacy. The seed of having faith in God started to penetrate into his heart, helping him soaring high above and spreading the thoughts into everyone’s mind: “Accept yourself for who you are.”

What makes Life Without Limits a remarkable book is that every word Nick narrates seems to be a candlelight that leads us through the winding pathway we’re stuck in. Not only does it give us hope and courage, it also stimulates some concepts of mine. In one of his chapters he mentioned, “Beauty really is in the eyes of the beholders, and what is on the outside is not really like what is on the inside.” Often we humans are too concerned about how we look, whether we catch up with the trend or not, and so on. We are afraid of being different, we are afraid of others’ criticism; thus, we buy into this “comfort zone” by imitating the crowd. Nonetheless, your own beauty and value are simply not based on these trivial and superficial things! The more time you spend with a person, the clearer your eyes could be. The true personality that lies behind their cosmetics will gradually appear and that’s a person’s real character. Just take Bethany Hamilton for example. She is a gritty teenage girl, who not only survived an attack from a tiger shark, but bounced back more determined than ever to lead an incredible life. Though losing her left arm during this ferocious tragedy, Bethany, like Nick, does not abandon herself to despair. Instead, she raises her sights and see life in perspective. Both of them share the gift they’ve been given; their beauty lies within their heart.

Among all the lessons Nick has taught me, I think what makes the most impact on me is the lesson of forgiveness. Forgiveness is given not only to others but also to yourself. It is a power of salvation. Forgiveness for others mends the wound of your lost relationship; forgiveness for yourself means that you truly reflect upon what you’ve done and choose to move on and pursue a better future. Nelson Mandela, who was praised highly for his lenient, set the perfect example for salvation. He once said, “As I walked out the door toward the gate that led to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” The secret to real freedom is not revenge, but letting things unfold in their own way. For me, it is the fuel that pushes us forward, giving us the strength to turn every stumbling obstacle into stepping stones that lead us to our success.

Nick teaches me that all the trials and tribulations that pop up in our life serves a very useful purpose; it strengthens our character as long as we hold on to each lesson. We travel only once in life. Dream big, start small and create a life without limitation!