A friend recently gave me a 1,000-piece puzzle, so I took on the challenge so I could send her the finished picture of the completed puzzle. The best part of the puzzle was the online messages that I listened to as I diligently looked for the pieces to fit the continents together of the world map (the ocean pieces were the hardest!). Katherine Wolf was a guest speaker at a church where I often listen to their online messages. The title of the message grabbed my attention, “Put God First in Your Pain.”  

As I listened to this woman’s message, her courage spoke to me as she communicated so vulnerably in front of so many. And then she said it…the word picture that will probably stay with me the rest of my life. She was talking about how people say she is “wheelchair bound”. She doesn’t like the negative connotation in that term. She prefers to say “wheelchair enabled” because her wheelchair is taking her where God is calling her to go. Her wheelchair is taking her where He is leading her. 

Lightbulb moment. In this last year, I’ve experienced a new level of difficult. My day-to-day life has been greatly impacted as health challenges are often a daily struggle. This is changing the way we do life and ministry and sometimes that’s hard to navigate and to accept. Katherine Wolf’s comment reminded me of something that God has been reassuring me of - my life, my story has not been hijacked. God is still in control and through these “limitations” He is taking me where He wants me to go. He is leading me to the good works that He has prepared in advance for me to do! So, I can choose courage and trust. I can choose to take hold of His hand and faithfully walk forward. I can choose courage to receive what God has allowed and faithfully follow Him, running my race believing that He is still in control.