Despite being born with an incurable disorder called Cerebral Palsy, this man is thanking God for giving him a life—no matter how difficult that life might seem to people with no physical ailment.
In fact, 43-year-old Roger Flournoy from Austin, Texas even considers his impairment a "gift" from God.
Cerebral Palsy is a disorder caused by brain damage, medical experts say. The damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal brain development. It affects body movement and muscle control among other bodily functions.
In a video titled "The Gift of Cerebral Palsy" as posted on Facebook by the Austin Stone Story Team, Flournoy is seen sitting while a male caretaker spoon-feeds him.
Flournoy, who has his own Facebook page, is pretty much helpless on his own and is totally dependent on his caretakers in doing such simple things as shaving his own face, tying his shoes or sitting in his electronic wheelchair.
When his caretakers take him outdoors, the video shows him smiling on his wheelchair, as if everything is right with the world.
Flournoy says going to church every Sunday relieves him of his loneliness. In the church, he says he finds joy in seeing the faces of fellow worshippers.
Flournoy says he believes that his physical impairment doesn't make him a lesser creature of God.
"I don't have to listen to lies that since I am disabled, I am not important," he says.
Flournoy says he believes God has a purpose in giving him Cerebral Palsy, and he is fulfilling that purpose.
He says God gave him the "gift" so that he can "encourage" people to have more faith in Him.
Flournoy says he actually feels "humbled" that God gave him CP because "not everybody gets the gift of realising that."
"God gave me this life to not waste it, but to use it," he says.
The question on why God allows sickness in this world has also been tackled by Got Questions Ministries.
The ministry states in its website that one of the keys to finding the answer to this question is found in Isaiah 55:9, which states that God's ways are higher than our ways. "God sometimes allows sin and/or Satan to cause physical suffering. Even when sickness is not directly from God, He will still use it according to His perfect will," it says.
Another key is found in Romans 8:28, which reminds Christians that God can bring about good from any situation. "Many people look back on times of sickness as times when they grew closer to God, learned to trust Him more, and/or learned how to truly value life. This is the perspective God has because He is sovereign and knows the end result," the ministry states.
