Turning Point magazine says,”When Harold Russell’s hands were blown off in an accident, he sank into depression. One day Charley McGonegal, who had lost his own hands in war, told Russell, ‘For everything you have missed, you have gained something else.’
Russell rallied and went on to become an ambassador for the disabled. He won an Oscar for his role in the movie, The Best Years of Our Lives . He wrote, ‘My weakness… has turned out to be my greatest strength. I didn’t think so at the time it happened and I don’t think I’d ever willingly lose my hands, if I had it to do all over again. But having lost them I feel perhaps I have gained many fine things…. It is not what you have lost, but what you have left that counts.’
When we look at past losses, it provides an opportunity to recalibrate for future service. The Lord can leverage our losses for ministry. Don’t give up. Your best years are now, and your best days are ahead.”
Far too often we excuse our failures by blaming them on something or someone else other than ourselves. One of the most common ways is by thinking of our burdens as barriers rather than blessings in disguise. Sometimes not having a “handicap” is our greatest handicap. A child of God in the will of God has every reason to believe that when God takes something away from us it is so He can give us something better–although we might not see it until much later. Let us then remember those words to Harold Russell– “For everything you have missed, you have gained something else.” –HDS
