Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in recent days gave a peek into his Christian faith and his theology, asserting on social media that God used, for good, an accident that placed him in a wheelchair.
Abbott, 62, has been paralyzed below the waist since 1984, when an oak tree fell on him while he was jogging, Dallas News reports. He was elected governor in 2014, after having served as state attorney general and associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
Last Friday, Abbott posted on Twitter a video of a muscular wheelchair-bound man making his way up a climbing wall, using only his hands.
“Never quit. Never give up. Overcome any challenge,” Abbott wrote in a message accompanying the video.
Never quit
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 23, 2019
Never give up
Overcome any challenge pic.twitter.com/iVuAW0SY7a
When a Twitter user responded with a negative comment – “so great to see but if I ever end up in a wheelchair I’m just ending it” – Abbott spoke up.
“That’s what I thought before I ended up in a wheelchair,” Abbott tweeted. “I’ve done more AFTER the accident that left me paralyzed than before that accident. With God all things are possible.”
That’s what I thought before I ended up in a wheelchair.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 23, 2019
I’ve done more AFTER the accident that left me paralyzed than before that accident.
With God all things are possible. https://t.co/dMM0y6R13P
The exchange with followers continued on Sunday, when a Twitter user claimed “God put” Abbott in a wheelchair.
“God didn’t cause the accident that left me paralyzed, but He did help me persevere over that enormous challenge,” Abbott tweeted. “I’m a testament that the glory of God is revealed by a young man’s back being broken in half and still rising up to be Governor of Texas. With God all is possible.”
God didn’t cause the accident that left me paralyzed, but He did help me persevere over that enormous challenge.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 24, 2019
I’m a testament that the glory of God is revealed by a young man’s back being broken in half and still rising up to be Governor of Texas.
With God all is possible. https://t.co/HIstfddxuk
Abbott’s comment sparked pushback by another Twitter user who wrote, “Funny how people always find a way to praise God for the good things in their life, but find every possible excuse to absolve him of the bad things. Omnipotence goes both ways, Greg.”
Abbott answered that comment, too.
“THE purpose of life is to build a relationship with God,” he tweeted. “Just like in any relationship, both good & bad things happen in our lives. The thing about a relationship with God is that bad events bring us closer to God. God’s limitless love helps us rise above life’s challenges.”
THE purpose of life is to build a relationship with God.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 25, 2019
Just like in any relationship, both good & bad things happen in our lives. The thing about a relationship with God is that bad events bring us closer to God.
God’s limitless love helps us rise above life’s challenges. https://t.co/9i2ijxJ3Ln
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Alex Wong/Staff
