Book review: ‘No Limitations’
The subtitle for Mary Brandt’s memoir No Limitations is “How God called me into the mission field knowing I would go blind.” This book clearly shows there is no limit to what God can do despite inadequacies and disabilities, and it leaves the reader in awe of Brandt’s courage and trust.
In 1963, Brandt set out to do one year of voluntary service in a children’s home in Germany—and never left. In looking back over her long years of service, she can see (with eyes of faith) how God prepared her for service in early life, then led her step by step to face each challenge as her eyesight grew progressively worse. Her reflections include both the ups and downs of living with blindness—laying herself bare before the reader, as she puts it—with the hope the story will encourage perseverance when life may seem unbearable.
Brandt grew up in a large family on a small farm in Manitoba’s Interlake. When she experienced night blindness as a child, her parents suspected she had inherited a rare genetic incurable eye disorder known as retinitis pigmentosis (RP) from her mother. Since the disease was in the early stages, Brandt took jobs that satisfied her love for working with children—an experience that was invaluable for her later ministry. Close observations of how RP affected her mother in daily life prepared her for what she could expect in later years.
However, the thought of severe loss of vision, perhaps even blindness, for herself was something to worry about in the future. So, Brandt and a friend applied to work in a children’s home in Germany run by Levi and Elizabeth Reimer. She immediately felt she belonged as her High German grew stronger and she came to love the children under her care and heard their often-heartbreaking stories.
After several relocations of the homes which meant learning new surroundings, and more frequent mishaps such as linking arms with strangers thinking they were acquaintances, getting lost on the streets, and being caught for a while behind a church door, Brandt finally faced the fact that she was officially blind. With that awareness, she made several drastic changes which included attending a training school for the blind; this set the trajectory for future years.
At one point, for a short period, her vision returned and colours brightened due to surgery. When the improvement vanished, she went into a state of depression. However, this was short-lived as she mulled over this thought, “I will not spoil what I have by desiring what I do not have.” As much as she longs at times to be able to see, she does not blame God for her disability, but instead thanks him for providing help in various ways at just the right moments.
This slim book (150 pages) is a good resource for anyone interested in learning how progressive loss of vision and blindness impacts daily life, as well as how to gracefully overcome the challenges it presents. It shows how God can use anyone, no matter the disability, if one trusts and obeys as each day unfolds. And every reader will be inspired by the story of a blind person who can say in later years, “I look back on what an amazing adventure my life has been.”
