Rising to the Challenge

1 day ago
4 min read

By S.E. Tschritter

Author

My three-year-old daughter whimpered. Strapped into her carseat in the middle row of our Trailblazer, what started as chirps would soon transform into a full-blown, swerve-inducing siren. I reached backward between the seats. Her crying lulled and I glanced over my right shoulder, noting her entire hand wrapped around my index finger. With my eyes back on the road, I heard her kiss me.

Heard, because I couldn’t feel. Cerebral palsy affects the feeling and strength along my entire right side. It’s as if I’m always wearing a glove on my right hand. I don’t often pity myself, but that moment from 11 years ago, remains an indelible portrait in my memory.

Here are three things I’ve learned from having a disability:

1.) Everyone has ‘a disability.’

2.) People with disabilities don’t consider their disability a disability.

3.) There are narrow paths that circumvent every disadvantage.

Everyone has ‘a disability.’

Each of us has, if not a disability, a weakness or a disadvantage. Anxiety. Depression. Lack of job advancement. A toxic relationship. And, often, if unchecked, we allow these weaknesses to—if not define us—dictate how we spend our time. Even more detrimental is letting these roadblocks destroy our peace.

People with disabilities don’t consider their disability a disability.

I once interviewed a paraplegic, who lived alone. In order to choose her wardrobe each day, she used an extension rod with a hook to grab certain hangars.

She expressed frustration about outsiders’ thinly veiled shock at her abilities, and I said, “Because you don’t view the hook as a disadvantage.”

“Exactly! It’s my normal life.”

Similarly, the soles of my right shoes wear down faster than the soles of my left shoes. If I’m holding my phone in my right hand, sometimes I accidentally call people. The right corner of my mouth droops slightly when I speak. These facets of my life are my ‘normal.’ Sometimes these drawbacks remind me of my disadvantage, but if I don’t draw attention to them, no one notices except me. Then there’s typing. Because I’m a writer with one working hand.

There are narrow paths that circumvent every disadvantage.

I worked at as a youth director and one of my teens would venture into my office before events just to watch me type. He called it ‘spider-typing.’

I’ve written and/or contributed to over 40 books and I have typed each story with one hand. Well, my right forefinger hits ‘shift,’ and ‘enter.’

There workarounds for our shortcomings—the hook to reach our clothing. Being born with my disability was an advantage. I never ‘retrained’ my brain. I simply taught myself to type with one hand. If you’re super curious now, you can check out this reel, simply a recording of my hand typing.

Limitations for some people present themselves later. An accident. A toxic marriage or friendship. A boss who overlooks talent for a whole variety of situations. Anxiety or depression caused by a traumatic life event. Each one of these scenarios presents a challenge that will either stop us or slow us down. Did you see the roadblock in front of you and stop?

How to Overcome a Life Challenge:

1.) Name the obstacle. If we’re not honest with ourselves about our limitations, we’ll never grow into future possibilities.

2.) Identify the goal your roadblock is keeping you from.

3.) Take action. What would it require for you to take the road less traveled? What are three steps you can take toward success?

4.) Give yourself grace. Progress and perfection are not the same thing.

5.) Don’t quit. My most recent release The Prodigal’s Son: Crackhead to Jesus Freak took seven years to finish. Grief was my greatest adversary

A glimpse at the back cover copy will explain why:

At 1:30 a.m. Samantha Evans received the call every spouse dreads. “Mrs. Evans, there’s been an accident.” Six hours later, “Mrs. Evans, we found something on the CT scan.”

Instead of preaching that Sunday, Pastor Clint Evans went to jail with a BAC of .24, a cancer diagnosis, and a felony charge of fleeing police. The Prodigal’s Son chronicles a Christian’s lifelong battle against demons, addictions, and unworthiness, and portrays God’s backlash of grace toward a man whom many branded “unredeemable.”

This story flings church doors open to the world’s misfits and challenges pew-squater saints to stop measuring their godliness against the dirty and addicted. From gutter to pulpit to ditch to grace to grave, Evans speaks volumes of God’s furious love for His prodigals.

Before he died, he said, “Sam, what are the chances I’d be married to an author whose best work comes from wounds? I want you to write my story.”

My late husband passed in 2019 and grief nearly swallowed me whole. Some days I couldn’t manage more than two paragraphs before taking a three-month break. I never thought I’d finish, but I didn’t quit. In between, I worked on other writing projects and built up my social media platforms. I didn’t stop. I circumvented the problem until I had enough emotional bandwidth to tackle another chunk of grief.

You have a limitation. Maybe you’re the only one who sees it. But you don’t have to let it define you. I believe in your ability to succeed.

Best wishes,

Samantha Evans Tschritter (Shridder)

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