Grazing Grace: An Unexpected Hero

By: Greg A. Lane

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 be hunched over in his wheelchair and his face would be just inches away from his computer keyboard because of his poor vision. He’d slowly scan the keyboard looking for the next letter of the word he was typing, then lift the index finger of his right hand to the key and punch it – slowly and methodically – one letter at a time. I would guess that it took him 10-15 minutes to write just one sentence in this way. Using this method, he wrote over 200 pages of commentary notes on his studies of the New Testament. I’ve looked over his commentaries myself, and there are so few typos and punctuation errors that you’d assume the notes had been proofread and edited by a professional.

Even though he was disabled and only able to type one letter at a time with his right index finger, Tim was able to write a complete commentary of the New Testament. The four binders pictured above contain about 200 pages of his personal studies of the Bible.

I remember receiving an email from Tim one time, and the email was two paragraphs long. I estimated that it took him well over an hour to type that email to me. I was honored to read it, knowing the great lengths he took to send it to me.

I hear some people making excuses as to why they haven’t been able to succeed in life. If anyone ever had a really good excuse it would have been Tim, but he succeeded at writing an entire commentary of the New Testament, one keystroke at a time. He proved that a heart hungry to succeed can overcome any adversity that life throws our way.

STUBBORN FAITH

When Tim was born, and it was discovered that he had cerebral palsy, the doctors gave a very grim prognosis. They said, “He will die before he turns 20 years old.” His mother was a strong, Christian lady, and she refused to accept their prognosis. As Tim grew older, his mother instilled within him the same stubborn faith that she possessed. He held on to the hope that he would one day be healed and would gain the use of his legs and hand.

He never backed down from the faith-filled expectation he had in his heart. As his life was coming to an end, and it became evident that he was not going to receive the physical healing he longed for, he said, “Well if I’m not going to be healed, I’m at least going to live past my 40th birthday. In that way, I will double the life expectancy the doctors had given me.” You can look at it in one of two ways. Either God honored Tim’s stubborn faith or Tim just refused to die, but one way or the other, he died ONE DAY AFTER HIS 40TH BIRTHDAY!

HE DIDN’T WASTE HIS BREATH

I and some friends from church went to visit Tim at his house one day. Someone asked, “Tim, have you ever gotten mad at God?” Tim replied quickly, “Why would I be mad at God? He is my only hope and my best friend in life! If I got mad at God who would I have left to turn to but the devil?” Now, at this time in Tim’s life, he was no longer in a wheelchair. The disease had taken its toll and he had been bedridden for over a year. He was completely reliant on a ventilator for his breathing. So, the only time he could talk was when the ventilator exhaled for him. Even with all of these setbacks, he continued to honor God and give testimony to God’s goodness.

I’ve heard people complain about their station in life. I’ve heard people blame God for their plight. These were people who had petty grievances in comparison to what Tim had gone through. Tim never once wasted his voice or his breath to bring an accusation against God. That kind of strength of character is another reason I consider him my hero.

“DO ME A FAVOR”

One day while I was visiting Tim after he had become bedridden, he said to me, “Greg, will you promise me you’ll do something for me?” I had no idea what I was getting into, but I replied, “If it’s something I can do, I’ll do it.” He said, “Promise me the next time you drink a glass of water that you’ll get down on your knees and thank God for it!” You see, Tim had not had water come across his lips for one full year. Because he was on a ventilator, tubes fed his food and water directly to his stomach. One thing that he had taken for granted was the refreshing taste of water, and he wanted me to remember to be thankful for that very small convenience – one that he had not enjoyed for over a year. When I went home that day, I did exactly what Tim requested. I poured myself a cool glass of water, knelt on my kitchen floor and thanked God for it. Even to this day, I often pour myself a cool glass of water and lift my hands in thanksgiving for this simple pleasure that I once took frequently for granted.

THE GREATEST THING YOUR LEGS WILL DO

As Tim’s final days on Earth were approaching, a group of friends stood around his bed and talked with him. One person asked, “Tim, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get to Heaven?” I suppose all of us standing there thought we knew what his answer would be. “I want to run on my brand new legs,” or “I want to walk on those streets of gold,” seemed like the obvious answer to the question. But, Tim surprised us all with the answer he gave. Without hesitation he said, “First thing I’m gonna do is find Jesus and kneel at His feet. I’ve never been able to kneel in worship my whole life so I’m really looking forward to that!” His answer almost made me ashamed of how little I kneel in worship before the Lord. Here was a man who never walked a day in his life, but he thought his inability to kneel in worship was an even greater disability than that of not being able to walk.

So, there you have it. My hero. He was not a man of steel – but a man named “Tim Steele.”