{"id":264,"date":"2010-06-09T13:34:02","date_gmt":"2010-06-09T13:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thinplaces\/2010\/06\/perfectly-human-walking-toward-freedom-by-jessica-bigby.html"},"modified":"2010-06-09T13:34:02","modified_gmt":"2010-06-09T13:34:02","slug":"perfectly-human-walking-toward-freedom-by-jessica-bigby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2010\/06\/perfectly-human-walking-toward-freedom-by-jessica-bigby.html","title":{"rendered":"Perfectly Human**: Walking Toward Freedom by Jessica Bigby"},"content":{"rendered":"


\"JessicaPH.jpg\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I am a believer,
\na dreamer, a traveler. I love learning, experiencing new places and cultures,
\nand climbing to the highest point simply to check out the view. Music and
\nsinging can occupy me for hours. Reading, not so much. My faith, family and
\nfriends are the most important things in my life. I find a reason to laugh and
\nsmile every single day and I will never (<\/font>ever)
\n<\/font><\/i>turn down ice cream! Does that give you a pretty good picture of who I am?<\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

If you happen to
\nknow me, or if you met me for the first time and that’s all I gave you, you
\nmight think I’ve left out a rather obvious, important piece. What I didn’t tell
\nyou is I have cerebral palsy and I walk with canes. I was born 13 weeks early
\nand have had 15 surgeries. And while this disability has been a part of making
\nme who I am, I left it out on purpose. I intentionally left out the description
\nof my handicap because I wanted you to see me as I see myself – not as a person
\nwith a disability. Those of you who wear glasses can probably relate to this.
\nIf someone were to ask you to describe yourself, you wouldn’t immediately
\nproclaim that you wear glasses. Glasses aid you in seeing the world clearly,
\nbut they do not define who you are.<\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

While I am
\nsomewhat reluctant to admit that I walk with canes, I also feel that my
\ndisability has been a catalyst to trust and walk by faith, literally and
\nspiritually. My newest physical challenge is learning to walk without my canes.
\nSometimes my steps are short and slow. Other times, my strides are long and
\nsteady. I always insist on having my trainer, Chris, directly behind me before
\nI begin to take a step. My fear-stricken face lets him know that I am afraid to
\ntake the step. I am afraid to fall. He always looks at me and says, “Go! Have I
\never let you get hurt? I am here to catch you. I will pick you up if you fall.”
\nThere is rarely a day that Chris and I practice walking and I do not stumble.
\nBut every day, he is there to catch me or pick me up if I fall. Despite the
\ndifficulties associated with this new endeavor, sans canes, I feel so free!<\/font><\/p>\n

Learning to walk
\nwithout my canes, has shown me the struggle and the joy of the Christian
\nlife.  My relationship with Christ
\nhas not been easy. But it has meant that I have Christ walking with me, every
\nstep of the way–through surgeries, college, living in my own apartment–picking
\nme up when I fall. And in that relationship, even when my steps forward are
\nshort and faltering, I have found freedom.<\/font><\/p>\n

I
\ndo not like to describe myself as a person with a disability. It seems unnecessary
\nto focus on the things I am unable to do because of cerebral palsy. My cerebral
\npalsy does not define who I am. I want to show you the full life that I live;
\nall of the things that I can do. Things such as driving a car, cheering
\non my favorite sports team at the stadium, or having coffee with a friend. There
\nare, however, aspects of daily life that are much more difficult for me because
\nof my disability such as riding escalators, climbing into the bathtub, or trying
\nto navigate an icy sidewalk. But, I do not let these things stop me! Philippians
\n4:13 says “I can do <\/font>all<\/font><\/i> things
\nthrough Christ who strengthens me.” That’s the way I like it! Claiming a
\ndisability is only good for getting a close parking space! <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

**For an explanation of the title “Perfectly Human,” and to read the first entry in this series, click here<\/a>. <\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am a believer, a dreamer, a traveler. I love learning, experiencing new places and cultures, and climbing to the highest point simply to check out the view. Music and singing can occupy me for hours. Reading, not so much. My faith, family and friends are the most important things in my life. 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Two major life experiences have shaped her writing and her faith\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcaring for her mother-in-law as she battled cancer and welcoming her daughter Penny into the world after she was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome. Both experiences expanded and enriched her understanding of what it means to be human and to receive each and every person as a gift.\u00c2\u00a0 A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, she is the author of Penelope Ayers: A Memoir, and the forthcoming A Good and Perfect Gift (Bethany House). Her essays have appeared in First Things, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Century, ChristianityToday.com, and Bloom, among other online venues.","sameAs":["http:\/\/amyjuliabecker.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/author\/amyjuliabecker"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}