Capabilities
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
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Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. Ps. 148:5, NIV.
A professor of theoretical physics at Cambridge University by the name of Stephen Hawking describes himself as “unlucky” for being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when he was in his late 20s. Now he is confined to a wheelchair, has a permanent tracheostomy, and communicates with the help of a computer-generated voice synthesizer. He is dependent on others for all the activities of daily living.
But he says he feels fortunate that his chosen field is not one requiring physical abilities. He has been blessed with a mind that roams the universe, testing the limits of time and space. People frequently discuss his theories in context with other great minds such as Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. He continues to lecture in the university setting and has written books about his theories.
I am a healthy adult with full physical capabilities who has freely chosen to be a couch potato on a routine basis with only occasional forays into “weekend warrior” types of activities (hiking, swimming, or whirling through the shopping malls). At times when I am angry about my minor physical limitations I resent others who remind me that regular exercise improves health and longevity.
I am far more likely to exercise my verbal capabilities than my physical ones, many times to my detriment. My mind usually centers on my own small universe and rarely wanders beyond my own egocentric space. Nor have my thought processes generated any theories of time or space. No one could make any comparisons between me and the great ones in my chosen field.
To the casual observer, Stephen Hawking would appear to be disabled. However, he has found ways to use the abilities he was given rather than focus on what he cannot do. Those of us who can roam freely on our own, care for ourselves and others, and have a reasonable expectation of privacy, tend to disable ourselves by our attitudes and behaviors.
We all have disabilities. The secret is to turn our disabilities into capabilities, and focus on what we can do rather than on what we can’t.
Father, thank You for creating me as I am. Help me to focus
on what I can do, rather than what I can’t, and to turn my disabilities into capabilites.
A professor of theoretical physics at Cambridge University by the name of Stephen Hawking describes himself as “unlucky” for being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when he was in his late 20s. Now he is confined to a wheelchair, has a permanent tracheostomy, and communicates with the help of a computer-generated voice synthesizer. He is dependent on others for all the activities of daily living.
But he says he feels fortunate that his chosen field is not one requiring physical abilities. He has been blessed with a mind that roams the universe, testing the limits of time and space. People frequently discuss his theories in context with other great minds such as Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. He continues to lecture in the university setting and has written books about his theories.
I am a healthy adult with full physical capabilities who has freely chosen to be a couch potato on a routine basis with only occasional forays into “weekend warrior” types of activities (hiking, swimming, or whirling through the shopping malls). At times when I am angry about my minor physical limitations I resent others who remind me that regular exercise improves health and longevity.
I am far more likely to exercise my verbal capabilities than my physical ones, many times to my detriment. My mind usually centers on my own small universe and rarely wanders beyond my own egocentric space. Nor have my thought processes generated any theories of time or space. No one could make any comparisons between me and the great ones in my chosen field.
To the casual observer, Stephen Hawking would appear to be disabled. However, he has found ways to use the abilities he was given rather than focus on what he cannot do. Those of us who can roam freely on our own, care for ourselves and others, and have a reasonable expectation of privacy, tend to disable ourselves by our attitudes and behaviors.
We all have disabilities. The secret is to turn our disabilities into capabilities, and focus on what we can do rather than on what we can’t.
Father, thank You for creating me as I am. Help me to focus
on what I can do, rather than what I can’t, and to turn my disabilities into capabilites.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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