Rising on Wings

On September 4, 1993, Jim Abbott stood on the mound at Yankee Stadium and did what only a handful of pitchers in baseball history have ever done. He threw a no-hitter, shutting out the Cleveland Indians 4-0 on 119 pitches. What made the achievement extraordinary was that Abbott had been born without a right hand.

Nobody gave him a roadmap. Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he taught himself to pitch left-handed, then rapidly switch his glove from under his right arm to his left hand in time to field. He was told countless times what he could not do. He did it anyway — starring at the University of Michigan, winning gold with Team USA at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and reaching the major leagues without ever spending a day in the minors.

That September afternoon, as he retired batter after batter, the Yankee Stadium crowd of over 27,000 rose to its feet. The final out — a grounder to shortstop — sent the stadium into euphoria. Abbott had not merely competed. He had soared.

Isaiah 40:31 promises that those who wait upon the Lord "shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary." This is not a promise that God removes our limitations. It is a promise that He renews our strength within them. Whatever obstacle you face this week — a diagnosis, a failure, a voice that says you cannot — remember that the God who gives power to the faint has not finished writing your story.