Everybody, Always

be able to use were his tongue, his eyes, and his mind.
Karl stayed in the hospital for months. He had stabilized, and the
doctors and nurses switched their attention to helping him function in his
new reality. During that time, a special vehicle was built so Karl could
have mobility. Because Karl had the use of his tongue, a straw was
attached to the steering mechanism. Karl uses small puffs of air and his
tongue to steer forward and backward, to start, stop, and turn.
Karl was eventually discharged from the hospital. He had become
used to the routine there and the relative comfort of learning his new life
in a highly monitored environment. The discharge almost felt like he was
being released to a prison as big as the whole world. He began figuring
things out one by one all over again. The specialized steering unit was
outfitted so Karl could answer the telephone, write emails, and do just
about every other task the rest of us take for granted. Karl had to relearn
how to navigate his entire life using just his tongue, his eyes, and his
mind.
Karl wasn’t a quitter. Even though his body had been wrecked, he still
had the spirit of a fighter and a prankster. He took up the challenge with
gusto. After graduating from high school, Karl went to college. He had
adjusted to his new life but felt a growing vacuum deep inside of him. It
wasn’t just that he couldn’t move any longer; he felt his whole life had
lost any kind of trajectory. He didn’t want his greatest achievements to be
what he learned to do with a straw. He felt a growing need to somehow
find more meaning and purpose than his life had offered even before his
injuries.
During his freshman year at college, Karl met a couple of people who
told him about a carpenter from Nazareth who had changed them. They
were part of a campus group that got together every week, and they
invited Karl to some of their meetings. What Karl found most compelling
from where he sat was that this carpenter they talked about had navigated
His entire life using only love.
The Bible talks a lot about our tongues, our eyes, and our minds. It