In 2001 Charlotte suffered a major stroke that resulted in her losing not only her speech but the use of both legs and one arm. But Charlotte was determined not to give up on life. In spite of her disabilities, she believed she could still fulfill her desire to share the Gospel with those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. She learned about a project to make leather bracelets that have five colored beads strung on them to represent five facets of the Gospel message.

 

The yellow bead prompts the question, “Have you ever thought about heaven where the streets are made of gold?” The black bead reminds us that in our present condition we can’t go there because of our sin. The red bead represents the good news that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and his blood washes away our sins. The white bead symbolizes that Jesus’ sacrifice makes us clean. The green bead reminds us we can now grow daily in our relationship with Jesus. Missionaries distribute the bracelets all over the world to children and adults alike.

 

Using only her one good arm and her mouth, Charlotte has made over 45,000 of these bracelets.[i] That means that she has literally carried the Gospel message around the world, not letting her handicap keep her from responding to Christ’s command, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15).

 

Charlotte’s example speaks to all of us who are tempted to give one excuse or another for why we can’t share Christ with others. The writer of Proverbs prompts us that “He who wins souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). If Charlotte can do it, so can we.

 

[i] Glenn Burris, Jr., The Foursquare Church “Weekly Prayer Guide,” September 21, 2009, accessed September 21, 2009.