Many years ago, I preached annually at Apache Creek Ranch, a camp nestled in the mountains of New Mexico. One summer, a young man attended camp who had only one arm. He was a strong, muscular young man—clearly once a gifted athlete. But cancer had taken most of his left arm, leaving behind only a stub. Despite this, he had trained his right arm to do nearly everything. He could swing a baseball bat and hit the ball as far as most of the other young men could with both arms.
While others admired the strength and skill of his right arm, I found myself fascinated by something different—the stub that hung from his left shoulder. It wasn’t much to look at, yet it amazed me how that stub still had a purpose. No, it couldn’t swing a bat, but it could steady the bat for the right arm. It couldn’t catch a fly ball, but it could hold the glove while the right arm threw the baseball. The stub had limitations, but it still served. Even that powerful right arm relied on the stub to accomplish certain tasks.
I never forgot that lesson. You see, there are people who can no longer be the “arm,” but they can still be the “stub.” They might not be able to do what they once did, but they can support those who still can.
For over 30 years, I’ve carried that image in my heart. There was a time in my life when I was a strong arm—leading, preaching, and serving in visible ways. But sin overtook me. Maybe I can’t be an arm anymore. But I can still be a stub.
Maybe you feel like your life has lost its strength, that you can no longer serve God as you once did. Maybe you can’t pastor a church anymore. Maybe you can’t preach like you once did. Maybe circumstances or past mistakes have limited what you once could do for God.
But hear me: if you can’t be an arm, you can still be a stub.
That right arm didn’t draw attention to the stub, and the stub didn’t demand it. Yet the arm depended on it. The stub quietly fulfilled its role—and so can you, and so can I.
So, rejoice, my fellow stubs. While the arms may get the spotlight, the stub still serves a vital purpose. In fact, there are things the stub can do that the arm cannot. God still has a place and a purpose for you.
If you can’t be an arm, be a stub.