LIFE STORY/Jehovah Has Given Me More Than I Deserve - AS TOLD BY FELIX ALARCON

BATTLING ON

Whenever anybody greets me and asks how I am, I simply say, "Here I am, still battling on!"  Of course, I know I am not alone in this struggle. Whatever our circumstances or impediments, all Christians are in a fight-"the fine fight of the faith." (1 Timothy 6:12)  What has helped me to battle on for so many years?  I pray each day and thank Jehovah for giving my life a sense of purpose. And I try to stay as busy as possible in serving God, keeping my eyes focused on the hope ahead.

I often think about the new world and what it will be like to run and jump again. At times, I have joked with my good friend Jose' Maria-who suffered from polio-about running a marathon together.  "Who would wind?" I asked him.  "It doesn't matter who wins," he replies. "What really matters is being there, in Paradise, to run the race." 

It has not be easy for me to come to terms with my disability. I know that as a teenager, I did something stupid, and that has cost me dearly.  Yet, how grateful I am that Jehovah did not abandon me.  He has given me so much-a large spiritual family, the will to live, the joy of helping others, and a wonderful hope for the future. If I had to sum up my feelings in just one sentence, I guess I would say that Jehovah has truly given me more than I deserve. 

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH/DEBORAH -"I Arose as a Mother in Israel"

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015