An Unexpected Hero When we say the word “Hero,” there are a lot of different images that are conjured up in our minds. Some might think of a masked super-hero wearing a cape and rescuing innocent people from an evil villain. Some might think of a soldier on a battlefield who fearlessly runs toward enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade. Others might think of a sports figure who overcame a moment of adversity to win a championship game. Still others might even think of a regular guy or girl that simply showed extreme courage during a moment of crisis or catastrophe. Courage and heroism can take on many forms. I’d like to share with you a few stories about one of my own, personal heroes. His name was Tim Steele. He was a friend of mine for nine years. He was one of the most faith-filled, positive and encouraging people I’ve ever known. He was just a “regular guy,” much like you and me, with one notable exception … he spent his whole life confined to a wheelchair because of a debilitating disease called cerebral palsy. You might ask, “How did a man in a wheelchair become your hero?” Fair question. He didn’t rescue me from a burning building, nor did he score the winning touchdown in overtime of the championship game. No, he did nothing like that … he did something far greater! He showed me how to live life to its fullest in spite of the setbacks and adversity that come my way. Here are a few stories to show you what I mean.
ONE KEYSTROKE AT A TIME Due to the effects of cerebral palsy, Tim was very limited in his mobility. As I mentioned, he was completely confined to a wheelchair his whole life. Cerebral palsy had stolen the use of both his legs and one of his hands. In spite of this fact, I never once heard him complain about his disabilities, nor did he use his disability as an excuse for not attempting to succeed in life. Take, for example, the fact that he wrote his own commentary of the New Testament … typing with one finger, one keystroke at a time. It was almost painful for me to watch him type on his computer. He would
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