In God’s economy, you don’t need hands and feet to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Nick Vujicic understands this perhaps better than anyone.
The beginning of Vujicic’s story would not have looked promising to the average person. He was born with a condition that left him, quite understandably, with major physical limitations.
As a child, he experienced so much bullying and resulting despair that he contemplated ending his life at the age of ten.
He believed that his physical disabilities could not be overcome to give him a meaningful existence. Yet a radical encounter with God made him realize that he was loved, valued, and had a vital role to play in God’s kingdom work.
Nick Vujicic is a renowned Christian author and speaker who has inspired millions with his unshakeable faith in the God who created him with no arms and legs. However, he is immediately recognized for more than his stature and message about God’s power. In 1982, Vujicic was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, “characterized by the absence of all four limbs” and “can also cause severe malformations of other body parts.”
Once the source of teasing and shame, his syndrome has become a platform for encouraging others, particularly those with physical disabilities. According to his website, he has been “featured on BBC, 60 Minutes Australia, CBS Sunday Morning, Oprah’s LifeClass, USA Today, People Magazine, ABC News, The Glenn Beck Program TLC, LA Stories, and many more.”
Naturally, Vujicic’s diagnosis at birth could be considered the “inciting incident” of his life story. Yet the Lord has granted him many incredible milestones over the last 40 years.
In his messages, Vujicic often recounts the life-changing moment when he read the account of the blind man healed by Jesus in John 9. In the passage, Jesus’ disciples inquire about the origins of the man’s blindness—whether his or his parents’ sin caused it.
Poignantly, Jesus responds that no one’s sin led to blindness but that it would be used to glorify God. This realization—that physical limitations didn’t displease Jesus but were woven into His perfect plan—changed the course of Vujicic’s life.
In 2005, at just 17 years old, Vujicic founded his nonprofit Life Without Limbs. Two years later, he started Attitude is Altitude, a “social and emotional learning curriculum” for grades K-12.
Vujicic’s first book was released in 2007. In it, he encouraged others to look past obstacles and focus on the things within their control. Complete with a Personal Action Plan, the book invites readers to employ the same practical strategies as Vujicic to fulfill their life’s purpose.
As he was building his ministry, Vujicic spent years wondering if God would send him someone who could love him unconditionally. Marriage is not uncommon, but it seemed nearly impossible for a man without limbs.
Despite growing confidence that he was “limitless” in Christ, he wondered if the right woman would feel the same. Then Kanae Miyahara came along. The two were married in 2012, and their love story inspired their book Love Without Limits.
One of the most powerful lessons Christians can learn from Nick Vujicic is that a person’s disability does not preclude them from serving the Lord or participating in ministry. Quite the contrary–it is a disability highlighting God’s power in weakness. Every believer is endowed with spiritual gifts, and God is more than capable of working through someone’s limitations for His glory.
Vujicic’s feelings of despair and hopelessness throughout childhood are ones that countless young people share. His vulnerability in sharing those stories of his past helps those struggling with similar feelings to be seen and heard. More specifically, Vujicic’s ability to move from discouragement to Godly confidence reminds us that we are all so much more than our struggles.
Not everyone aspires to speak on an international stage or write multiple books (though certainly, there are many aspiring speakers and writers). Regardless of one’s professional and personal goals, as Christians, we are all called to make disciples, share Jesus’ teachings with others (Matthew 28:18-20), and care for those in need (Proverbs 19:17, Acts 20:35).
We serve a creative God who leads us toward various ways to obey His commands—Vujicic’s path as a motivational speaker and author is but one way to accomplish this.
Vujicic also teaches us to grow beyond our comfort zone and reach out to those in need who may feel overwhelming despair. Rather than look away when we see tremendous disability and suffering, we can give our time and talents to encourage these people in Christ. Even better, we can do so while helping with practical needs that keep someone from a greater quality of life.
Vujicic’s main goals with his ministry are to uplift others and point them to Jesus; even his accounts of his childhood struggles are laced with hope. So it should be no surprise that many of his quotes offer a strong dose of inspiration. Here are 10 quotes from Vujicic’s books, interviews, articles, and website.
1. “God has used my lack of limbs to draw people to me, especially others with disabilities, so I can inspire and encourage them with my messages of faith, hope, and love.” — “Nick Vujicic: Faith in Action,” Crosswalk.com
2. “As a Christian, I believe the final judge of how we’ve lived is God. The Bible teaches that His judgment is based on our actions, not our words.” — Crosswalk.com
3. “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet then He will certainly use any willing heart!” — Life Without Limbs.org
4. “Everybody is going through something. We’re all going through something, just my pain is more visible than yours or somebody else’s.” — “Inspiring man born without arms or legs - Nick Vujicic,” 60 Minutes Australia
5. “I know I have no arms and no legs, but the definition of disability is something stopping you from being able to do something. In my life, there’s hardly anything I’ve found that I can’t do.” — 60 Minutes Australia
6. “No matter who you are, no matter what you’re going through, God knows it,” he said. “He is with you. He is going to pull you through.” — “Born Without Limbs, Refusing Limitations,” ABC News
7. “It’s the fact that they [teens] understand how it feels to be alone, how it feels to be rejected, how it feels to be confused and broken. That’s the level that I come in on, and they can see that straight away. When I get up onstage, they know that I’ve been broken.” — ABC News
8 “Putting your faith into action is not a passive exercise. You have to actively and willfully take the necessary steps to locate and move along the path God designed for you.” — Unstoppable
9. “Have you ever felt trapped in circumstances, then discovered that the only trap was your own lack of vision, lack of courage, or failure to see that you had better options?” — Life Without Limbs.org
10. “God’s love is so real that He created you to prove it.” — Life Without Limits
To date, Vujicic has written nine books, each a faith-based inspirational read for those who need to be reminded of their potential in Christ. Several of his books are bestsellers and have been translated into over 30 languages.
1. Your Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life (originally published as Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life)
2. Unstoppable: The Incredible Power of Faith in Action
3. Limitless: Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life
4. Attitude Is Everything: The Story of an Extraordinary Life
5. 31 Days to a Hope Inspired Life
6. Love Without Limits: A Remarkable Story of True Love Conquering All
7. The Power of Unstoppable Faith: Your Keys to a Fulfilled Life
8. Stand Strong: You Can Overcome Bullying (and Other Stuff That Keeps You Down)
9. Be the Hands and Feet: Living Out God’s Love for All His Children
Vujicic’s father has also written a memoir about raising him, Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing Challenges with Strength, Courage, and Hope.
A young Nick Vujicic, wracked by feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, could not have anticipated the mighty ways God would use him as an adult—not despite tetra-amelia syndrome but through it. Yet his name is now known the world over as a beacon of hope and a reminder of God’s unconditional love.
That means that right now, someone with a physical disability or other perceived setback is experiencing joy and gratitude because Vujicic gave his life to Christ and chose to share His good news with others. Vujicic’s ministry reminds us that God’s grace is more than enough—no matter how much we do or don’t have.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
Anna Oelerich is a Chicago-area church youth director, freelance writer, and graduate of Taylor University. She received her B.S. in Professional Writing in 2018, but has loved words—reading, storytelling, list-making, and even handwriting—for as long as she can remember. Previously, she served as the marketing and communications coordinator for a community foundation, where she shared powerful stories of generosity, and encouraged others to give. When writing an article, or developing programming for her students, Anna enjoys highlighting the historical and cultural contexts of familiar Bible passages so others feel they are living the stories for themselves.
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