人生不设限·原来我的演讲可以帮助人
One day I gave a talk to a group of about three hundred teenage students, probably the biggest group I'd ever addressed. I was sharing my feelings and my faith when something wonderful happened. Now and then students or teachers would shed tears when I told them about challenges I'd faced, but during this particular talk a girl in the audience completely broke down sobbing. I wasn't sure what had happened—perhaps I'd triggered some terrible memory for her. I was amazed when she then summoned the courage to raise her hand to speak, despite her sadness and tears. Bravely, she asked if she could come forward and give me a hug. Wow! I was fl oored.
我邀请她上来，她擦干眼泪走到台前，给了我一个超大的拥抱，是我这辈子最棒的拥抱之一。这个时候，屋子里的所有人几乎都热泪盈眶，包括我自己。她在我耳边轻声地说：“从来没人告诉过我，我这个样子就很漂亮，也没有人说过他爱我。你改变了我的生命，而且，你也是个漂亮的人。”
I invited her up, and she wiped away her tears as she walked to the front of the room. She then gave me this huge hug, one of the best of my life. By then nearly everyone in the room was teary-eyed, including me. But I lost it entirely when she whispered in my ear:
在那之前，我还常常怀疑自己的价值，觉得我不过就是把这种小小的演讲当作接触其他青少年的通道而已。然而这个女孩竟然说我“漂亮”(而且并无恶意)，最重要的是，她是第一个让我隐约感觉到，我的演讲可以帮助别人，这女孩改变了我看事情的观点。“或许我真的有些什么可以贡献出来。”我心想。
"Nobody has ever told me that I'm beautiful the way that I am. No one has ever said that they love me," she said. "You've changed my life, and you are a beautiful person too."
类似这样的经验让我了解到，我的与众不同正好可以让我对这个世界有特殊贡献。我发现别人愿意听我演讲，是因为他们只要看着我，就知道我经历并克服过什么样的困难。
Up to that point, I was still constantly questioning my own worth. I'd thought of myself as someone who simply gave little talks as a way of reaching out to other teens. First of all she called me "beautiful" (which didn't hurt), but more than anything she gave me that first real inkling that my speaking could help others. This girl changed my perspective. Maybe I really do have something to contribute, I thought.
人们直觉地认为我应该可以说些什么，来帮助他们渡过自己的难关——在这方面，我还算有说服力。
Experiences like that helped me realize that being "different" just might help me contribute something special to the world. I found that people were willing to listen to me speak because they had only to look at me to know I'd faced and overcome my challenges. I did not lack credibility. Instinctively, people felt I might have something to say that could help them with their own problems.
上帝通过我进入不计其数的学校、教会、监狱、孤儿院、医院、体育馆和会议厅，接触到许多人。更棒的是，我曾经面对面拥抱过数以千计的朋友，让他们知道自己有多珍贵。同时，我也很开心可以告诉他们，上帝对每个人的生命的确有所计划。上帝使用我这个奇特的身体，并让我具备振奋人心、鼓动心灵的能力，就像他在《圣经》里说的：“我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们未来有指望。”(《圣经·耶利米书》第29章第11节)
God has used me to reach people in countless schools, churches, prisons, orphanages, hospitals, stadiums, and meeting halls. Even better, I've hugged thousands of people in face-to-face encounters that allow me to tell them how very precious they are. It's also my pleasure to assure them that He does have a plan for their lives. God took my unusual body and invested me with the ability to uplift hearts and encourage spirits, just as He says in the Bible: "For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
