Use your ‘differ-ability’ to succeed in your own way

“I cannot go with these, for I am not used to them.”

— 1 Samuel 17:39 (AMP)

I recently was pondering over something I had been wanting to do. Due to some physical limitations, I couldn’t do it the same way I used to, or the way most people would. I needed a little creative thinking. I dared myself to get motivated and take the chance.

Have you ever felt inept or disabled? Many of us do suffer some sort of disability, whether it is physical, mental or emotional.

One of my grandchildren suffered learning disabilities that at times made them feel like they didn’t quite match up to society’s norm. However, when we face battles such as these we just have to think outside the box. Today, they are a successful manager.

I heard a story about a man who suffered a stroke. All of a sudden, he had to learn a different way of doing things. He called his disability “differ-ability.”

One of my favorite Bible accounts is about a young man named David who was instructed by God to slay a giant in the land. David had been a shepherd boy all his life and had not fought in an army before. When he went before the king and asked if he could take a turn at slaying the giant the king agreed and gave him a sword and a suit of armor.

David tried the armor on, but felt restricted by it. He was used to protecting his sheep using a slingshot and stones. So, he asked the king to grant him permission to fight the giant the way he battled lions and bears. The king gave him permission.

I would imagine that most people in the crowd thought David’s tactic would never work. However, David followed his sense of differ-ability and successfully slew the giant using his slingshot and five smooth stones. By following his intuition he became commander-in-chief of the army.

I believe we all have a differ-ability, but we strive to fit into society’s norms and fall short. Instead, we should stop and discern if God may be encouraging us, like he did with David, to do things in ways that work for us.

We can inspire ourselves by being willing to follow our differ-ability.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.