December 20, 2021: No Limits

“‘The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you’” (Deut. 7:7–8, NASB).

When I was 7, I had been in and out of hospitals multiple times trying to find answers on how to correct severe congenital birth defects that affected my hands and feet. Now I was on a stage at a major university medical center, complete with spotlights and about 30 adults around me wearing white jackets—presumably doctors, researchers and interns. A professor got up and listed the great qualities I possessed. Good grades in school. Socially well-adjusted. Loving home. Then the show really started, at least for me.

I was asked to demonstrate how I could not tie my shoes, button my shirt, etc. The professor said, “Because of this boy’s lack of key abilities, he will always need to be tended to by others.” This made me furious. I refused to follow their instructions any further and ran out of the room to find my parents.

Today, I am in the middle of a second career as a pastor, and God has favored me with blessing after blessing, including a beautiful wife, children and grandchildren. And I was once a businessman, vice president and set sales records in Fortune 500 companies.

Never limit the potential of others by what you see on the surface, because our God makes big statements by getting the most from the least.

God, remind us that whether it’s Jericho, Gideon or a boy’s lunch, You do not need our strength but our willingness. Amen.

Roy Weeden is the district pastor of the Williamsport, Milton and Lock Haven churches in Pennsylvania.