Miraculous Signs and Wonders

Of all the awesome characters in the Bible, who can forget King Nebuchadnezzar? Aside from being the antagonist in the famous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar did some pretty interesting things. For starters, he was quite the dreamer, then there were those seven years he spent grazing with the cows. Yep, those were some good times alright.

I'm not quite that big a fan of grass myself, but I think Nebuchadnezzar and I are pretty similar. For starters, we both want to tell you all about the miraculous signs and wonders God has done for us.

This past Tuesday, I had an appointment with the wheelchair clinic, expecting to get the few parts my chair is in desperate need of. My mom and I walked in, and the first thing they asked us was how long I'd had the chair. I told them something like 8 years, and they said outright that they were getting me a brand new chair. What's more, they're not going to give me the same model chair I already have, but they're going to give me a newer, redesigned model that's several pounds lighter than the chair I have now!

Then after they finished fitting me for a new chair, the two technicians asked me what my current chair needed in order to last until the new one arrives. I explained the bearings in the right caster plate were worn flat so the wheelchair liked to drift sideways or not maneuver at all. Two things happened when they heard me talk. First, they gave me the parts I needed (plus some extra parts that improved the rigidity of the wheelchair entirely!).

Secondly, they offered me a job! As in, I could call them up and start assembling wheelchairs at any time, and after I graduate, I could start working full-time! What's exciting is apparently half their wheelchairs are made in Europe, which would eventually mean a career speaking French! How cool is that?

Let me explain something real quick. They didn't just offer me the job because I know how to build a wheelchair from a pile of parts. They also offered me the job because they were astonished by all the modifications I'd done to my own chair! The cup-holder mount was a curiosity to them. I got the impression the mirrors (which they only saw the brackets for) were something of a novelty for them, since apparently no one had thought of making folding mirrors for a wheelchair and having them look underneath the frame of the chair. The military backpack I use, they thought was ingenious because I was able to take the modularity built into the backpack and adapt it to the wheelchair with cupholders and all pouches within reach. They were most impressed however with my luggage racks (capable of holding 80lbs consistently) and my wheelchair gloves (built off of mountain bike gloves). It was the combination of all these innovations that inspired them to offer me the job, because they could see I would be able to help wheelchair users customize their chairs in every way they needed.

It's a talent God's blessed me with.

Now, for those of you who really know me, you know my career goals tend to focus on French, but that I've considered going into the wheelchair accessory business. I've always wondered how I would be able to do that, considering I'm about to start my seventh year studying French, and wheelchair parts are in a totally different work environment. For a while, I often wondered if I would end up buying a warehouse in France, just so I could sell wheelchair parts and not feel my education was put to waste.

Well, God has opened a possible door for me to do both the things I love, speak French and tinker with wheelchairs.

Try and tell me that's not a miracle.