The Power of Giving

The picture on the front page of the Rouse Hill Times this past week caught my eye.  On a hospital bed lay a man propped on pillows with a ventilator tube in his throat and a serene smile on his face!  Above the picture of this young smiling man the headline read:  "Selfless - He's 18 and paralysed, but he only wants to help others."  Inside I read the inspirational story of Blake Nixon, a young man who days before this Christmas was left a quadriplegic as a result of a tragic car accident.  Though his circumstances have been harder than most could imagine, joy radiates from the smile on his face.  Instead of focusing on his lack of ability or drowning in sorrow, Blake decided to have his head shaved to benefit the Leukemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave campaign.

This is not the first time Blake has endured tough obstacles in his life.  His mother passed away in 2007 due to breast cancer.  Few people his age have endured these kind of struggles and for that reason his smile means so much.  Blake thinks about how to benefit others as he lays in a hospital bed.  This young man, despite his paralysed body, has done more for people suffering from cancer than most people in the world whose bodies function perfectly.  Without lifting a finger Blake's smile and the act of joyfully giving what he can lifted my spirit.

Blake's giving heart takes me back to a moving story written by Shel Silverstein called The Giving Tree.  No matter what phase of life the human character was going through, the tree always was happy and content to give.  We always think that helping involves us doing something physical:  helping mow the lawn, helping with the dishes, helping pay the rent.  But Blake has helped people through his attitude and by shaving his head to make a difference in the world.  I have not been diagnosed with cancer, but Blake's sunny disposition has been a blessing to me as well.  Good on ya, mate!

The headline made me think about my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  There is no one who has walked the earth who has given more.  Jesus Himself was also paralysed on the cross by nails which pinned Him down as He bore the weight of the sins of the world.  He also paid for every sickness, for by His stripes we are healed.  Christians should be the most selfless people in the world because Jesus modeled it perfectly.  He has granted us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live in the joy of the LORD.  What can we do to give ourselves to others for God's glory?

Thanks for the lesson, Blake Nixon.  May we never forget that Christ gave His all so we might give ourselves completely back to him and others!