Motivational Sunday: The Happiest People – Sabina Nwadike
Max Cleland was a typical teenager, starring in sports and voted his high school’s most outstanding senior.
At age 24 he volunteered for combat duty in Vietnam as a first lieutenant in the Army. One month before his return home, Cleland noticed a grenade had been accidentally dropped.
Moving to retrieve it, he was thrown backward by its explosion. He looked down to find his right hand and right leg were missing, his left leg badly mangled. He tried to cry out – but shrapnel had ripped his throat.
No one expected Cleland to survive. But as he recovered from a triple amputation, he recalled two things: Paul the apostle said that hope did not disappoint, and General George Patton had said, “Success is how high you bounce after you hit bottom.”
Upon his return to civilian life, Cleland entered politics, learned to drive a special car, and traveled extensively mobilizing support for veteran’s causes.
At age 34, he became the youngest man ever to head the veterans administration, and later was elected his state’s secretary of state.
Max Cleland’s favourite saying is “Life doesn’t revolve around an arm and a leg. People look at you the way you look at yourself.”
Beloved, the happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
The Good Book in Philippians 4:11 said, “…for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.”
You will succeed.
Shalom!
By Sabina Nwadike
