This is a story about overcoming BIG obstacles.
This little charmer was born in 1987, to a mother and father who walked away from the hospital and left her behind.
Permanently.
Enter Sharon and Gerald Bricker, two "ordinary" people who live in tiny Hardinville, IL.
They already had three sons, but Sharon always yearned for a daughter. She told a reporter, "I prayed, 'God give me a little girl that needs a family as bad as I need a little girl.'"
He did.
When the couple learned this 3-month old baby girl was available for adoption they were ready to jump at the chance.
There was just one little thing: She was born without legs.
No matter, they decided. The Brickers quickly applied to adopt, signed all the paperwork, took her home and named her Jennifer.
These two knew from the beginning that their new daughter would require all the love they could give her.
Meet Jennifer Bricker today, champion acrobat and aerialist
She and her parents tell their story on an unforgettable YouTube, titled: "Never say can't." www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9M6r5RF4A
I've watched it several times and one word comes through to me: Courage.
Courage for Jennifer, of course, but also for Sharon and Gerald, all the way through.
They come across as two good people, solid and strong, who stepped out in faith.
These two non-experts simply loved their child and believed in her. Because of Sharon's earlier remarks, it's safe to say they prayed, probably every minute of every day.
I consider these parents as amazing as their daughter.
In the Bricker family, the same rule applied to everyone
Jennifer traces her attitude to the one simple rule her parents gave her: "Never say 'can't.'"
She remembers them telling her again and again, "'Can't' is not part of your vocabulary. If you just put your mind to it, you can do it."
"If you're never given limits," she says, "then you think, 'I can do anything!'"
So this little "handicapped" girl decided she could be a tumbler, a gymnast and nothing would stop her.
Finding courage to go on
When I imagine Sharon and Gerald Bricker's life. I think how easy and loving and "right" it would have seemed to tell their daughter, "Honey, I'm sorry. You can't be a tumbler because you have no legs . . . You can't play basketball because without legs you couldn't be fast enough . . . You can't play baseball because how could you run the bases?"
And all their friends and neighbors would have said, "You did the right thing. It's a shame, but in her situation how could little Jennifer even think such a thing?"
It took courage to let their daughter try and keep on trying and experience the disappointment and pain until she mastered the skills.
Suppose we, too, adopted "Never say can't" as our motto
What if we removed "can't" from our vocabulary? Or refused to allow it as an excuse within our family?
It sounds almost counter-cultural, doesn't it?
Whatever age we are, it takes courage to murder the word, "can't," and push ourselves to grow stronger and to persevere when it's hard.
Maybe it sounds too simple, but as Christians we know where to find strength and courage to go on. Here are a couple of verses that remind us we are never alone:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. --Isaiah 41:10
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. --Philippians 4:13
Still learning, too,
Lenore
Note: Because Jennifer Bricker was interviewed on "Family Life Today" on July 15, 2015, it seemed worthwhile to re-post this. She makes us believe we can handle anything, doesn't she?
