人生不設限·原來我的演講可以幫助人

有一天，我對著大約300名青少年演講，那大概是聽眾最多的一次。正當我在分享自己的感受和信仰時，發(fā)生了一件奇妙的事。通常當我談到我面對的挑戰(zhàn)時，偶爾會有學生或老師流淚，但那一次，有位女孩竟然崩潰到大哭。我不太確定到底發(fā)生了什么事——我該不會觸動她某段糟糕的回憶了吧?但盡管悲傷流淚，這個女孩依然鼓起勇氣舉手發(fā)問，說她可不可以到前面來擁抱我。哇，我好驚訝。

One day I gave a talk to a group of about three hundred teenage students, probably the biggest group I'd ever addressed. I was sharing my feelings and my faith when something wonderful happened. Now and then students or teachers would shed tears when I told them about challenges I'd faced, but during this particular talk a girl in the audience completely broke down sobbing. I wasn't sure what had happened—perhaps I'd triggered some terrible memory for her. I was amazed when she then summoned the courage to raise her hand to speak, despite her sadness and tears. Bravely, she asked if she could come forward and give me a hug. Wow! I was fl oored.

我邀請她上來，她擦干眼淚走到臺前，給了我一個超大的擁抱，是我這輩子最棒的擁抱之一。這個時候，屋子里的所有人幾乎都熱淚盈眶，包括我自己。她在我耳邊輕聲地說：“從來沒人告訴過我，我這個樣子就很漂亮，也沒有人說過他愛我。你改變了我的生命，而且，你也是個漂亮的人。”

I invited her up, and she wiped away her tears as she walked to the front of the room. She then gave me this huge hug, one of the best of my life. By then nearly everyone in the room was teary-eyed, including me. But I lost it entirely when she whispered in my ear:

在那之前，我還常常懷疑自己的價值，覺得我不過就是把這種小小的演講當作接觸其他青少年的通道而已。然而這個女孩竟然說我“漂亮”(而且并無惡意)，最重要的是，她是第一個讓我隱約感覺到，我的演講可以幫助別人，這女孩改變了我看事情的觀點。“或許我真的有些什么可以貢獻出來。”我心想。

"Nobody has ever told me that I'm beautiful the way that I am. No one has ever said that they love me," she said. "You've changed my life, and you are a beautiful person too."

類似這樣的經(jīng)驗讓我了解到，我的與眾不同正好可以讓我對這個世界有特殊貢獻。我發(fā)現(xiàn)別人愿意聽我演講，是因為他們只要看著我，就知道我經(jīng)歷并克服過什么樣的困難。

Up to that point, I was still constantly questioning my own worth. I'd thought of myself as someone who simply gave little talks as a way of reaching out to other teens. First of all she called me "beautiful" (which didn't hurt), but more than anything she gave me that first real inkling that my speaking could help others. This girl changed my perspective. Maybe I really do have something to contribute, I thought.

人們直覺地認為我應該可以說些什么，來幫助他們渡過自己的難關——在這方面，我還算有說服力。

Experiences like that helped me realize that being "different" just might help me contribute something special to the world. I found that people were willing to listen to me speak because they had only to look at me to know I'd faced and overcome my challenges. I did not lack credibility. Instinctively, people felt I might have something to say that could help them with their own problems.

上帝通過我進入不計其數(shù)的學校、教會、監(jiān)獄、孤兒院、醫(yī)院、體育館和會議廳，接觸到許多人。更棒的是，我曾經(jīng)面對面擁抱過數(shù)以千計的朋友，讓他們知道自己有多珍貴。同時，我也很開心可以告訴他們，上帝對每個人的生命的確有所計劃。上帝使用我這個奇特的身體，并讓我具備振奮人心、鼓動心靈的能力，就像他在《圣經(jīng)》里說的：“我知道我向你們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，要叫你們未來有指望。”(《圣經(jīng)·耶利米書》第29章第11節(jié))

God has used me to reach people in countless schools, churches, prisons, orphanages, hospitals, stadiums, and meeting halls. Even better, I've hugged thousands of people in face-to-face encounters that allow me to tell them how very precious they are. It's also my pleasure to assure them that He does have a plan for their lives. God took my unusual body and invested me with the ability to uplift hearts and encourage spirits, just as He says in the Bible: "For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."