Brittany’s a Leader
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a story about my young friend Brittany.
Brittany is in her late 20’s and on weekends, she helps me get up in the morning. On weekdays, though, she works as an occupational therapist in a child-development center not far from where I live. Now, because she’s a skilled OT, I had been encouraging Brittany to go serve on a “Wheels for the World” team, helping to fit disabled people in wheelchairs, like, you know, in Africa or Asia. Well, Brittany learned that her church was partnering with our “Wheels for the World” outreach, so she decided to sign up for the team. After she got her shots and her visa, she was packed up and heading off to Uganda.
Now, helping American kids get adjusted in their wheelchairs is one thing; but helping African kids in an impoverished nation? That is quite another. And as I said, Brittany is an occupational therapist, she normally doesn’t fit kids to wheelchairs; that’s the job physical therapists do. Well, the first day of the distribution was incredibly busy, so Brittany was assigned to help Veronica, a seasoned physical therapist who has served on many “Wheels for the World” trips. Veronica is a real leader and she involved Brittany right away, showing her how to measure a child’s hips, the length of his legs, assessing his ability to bend his knees or ankle, what kind of wheelchair would be needed, how to adjust the foot pedals or fashion a shoulder harness or side supports or jerry-rig a headrest, all sorts of things to quickly learn and absorb. Well, after an hour or so of working on this child’s wheelchair, Veronica and Brittany placed him in his new set of wheels. Once a final inspection was conducted, Veronica turned to Brittany and said, “Okay, you’re on your own. There’s your next child, over there in line.”
Brittany looked at Veronica with surprise, like: ‘You want me to fit the next child by myself, on my own?’ She was tentative at first, but realized in the next instant; this isn’t America. This is Africa, a place where you have to make do with what you got. So, Brittany prayed, “Lord Jesus, help me,” and she walked over to the next family with a smile and began assessing their little boy with cerebral palsy, just like she knew what she was doing. And within a few minutes, she was doing it! All her training in physiology and body mechanics and occupational therapy skills kicked in. And because of her training with Veronica, she was able to jump right in and properly fit that little boy to his new chair. And she was thrilled to be able to pray with the family and tell them about Jesus; and what do you know, she discovered that she was a leader after all.
Brittany learned that every opportunity is a chance for God to show His strength through her, just as it says in II Corinthians 12, verse 9. Brittany didn’t think she had it in her to step into the shoes of someone like Veronica. But God always enjoys stretching us in ways that, at first, feel awfully uncomfortable. But He does that to force us beyond our natural abilities so that we might lean on His supernatural ability. And what do you know—the very things about us that we think are weaknesses become the platform for His strength. So now when Brittany thinks of leadership, she no longer leverages her strengths in order to minimize her weakness. No, she knows that God delights in leveraging weakness and minimizing power to get His work done. And as a Christian you can do the same. In fact, that is what Brittany is doing right now as she heads off to her next “Wheels for the World” outreach.
Oh, and by the way, if you have a prayer request let me know on our radio page and our Joni and Friends staff will lift up your need before the Lord. God bless you today, and thank you for listening to Joni and Friends.
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