From "What Can I Get?" to "What Can I Give?"

August 10, 2026

When Jesus and His disciples met a man, who had been blind from birth, the disciples asked a natural question, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:2-3). In a fallen world, suffering and limitation are real. Yet Jesus reframes the entire conversation. What looks like a curse can become a stage for God’s glory.

We see this truth lived out in powerful ways in the lives of people who overcome great physical, emotional, spiritual, or emotional challenges, and rise above their limitations. One of my favorite people is Australian Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs. For years he wrestled with despair, and questioned why God would allow such a life, even to the point of suicide. Yet, through faith, he discovered that his limitations became the very platform for a worldwide ministry of hope. He travels the globe telling people that God can use anyone, no matter their circumstances. His life preaches louder than most sermons: God’s power is made perfect in weakness. If you want to be inspired, check out Nick Vujicic on YouTube.com.

Michael Jr., a gifted Christian comedian, grew up with severe dyslexia. He was so determined to hide his inability to read that he developed seven different ways to figure out a word just by looking at it and its context. He became so fast using these skills that people assumed he could read normally. satan whispered that he was stupid. God had a different plan. Today, Michael Jr. uses his story and his humor to reach the homeless, abused children, and prisoners. What once felt like a crushing limitation became a doorway for laughter, healing, and the Gospel. If you need a good laugh search Michael Jr.’s sketch called “Jesus’ little brother, James,” on YouTube.

These stories invite us to change the way we think. Too often we approach life asking, “What can I get?” We want comfort, success, recognition, or an easier path. Jesus calls us to a different question, “What can I give?” When we stop focusing on what is missing and start asking how God might use even our struggles for His glory, everything shifts.

This change of perspective applies to everyday life. In scouting, the goal is not merely to build a strong troop for its own sake, but to give boys the chance to develop character and faith. In worship, the aim is not simply to fill seats, but to create space where people can encounter the living God. In finances, the call is not only to find security, but to trust God enough to give generously. Whatever is important to us can become an opportunity to serve and glorify God when we flip the question from getting to giving.

This week I invite you to try a simple exercise. Make a short list of the things that matter most to you — your work, your family, your health, your church, your relationship with God. Then take each item and ask in prayer, “Lord, how can I give through this instead of just trying to get from it?” You do not have to transform everything at once. Start with one. Ask God to show you one practical way to turn that desire outward for His glory.

The man born blind received his sight, but the greater miracle was that God’s glory was put on display. Nick Vujicic and Michael Jr. have not been given perfect bodies or perfect minds, yet through their lives God is healing hearts and opening eyes. The same can be true for us. Our limitations do not disqualify us. In God’s hands they can become the very places where His love and power shine most brightly. After all, our God is a God who redeems the world by transforming a cross from a symbol of death, to the greatest symbol of hope ever experienced.

Where in your life have you been asking “What can I get?” that God might be inviting you to turn into “What can I give?” How has God used a limitation or struggle in someone else’s life to

display His glory? What is one area of your life you could offer to God this week as a place for His works to be displayed?

May we learn to love through the healings and miracles God still performs, not only the dramatic ones, but the quiet ones that happen when ordinary people stop asking what they can get and start asking what they can give. When this happens, God is using our lives so that the works of God can be displayed through Jesus. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).