The Ultimate Gift

Jim Stovall is a big guy. He has the body of a weight lifter and was a national champion in that sport. In high school in the 1970s, Stovall dreamed of playing in the National Football League, but his doctors informed him that he had a progressive eye ailment, macular degeneration, which would take his sight. By his late 20s, Stovall had full blindness.

Stovall, as he tells his story, almost gave up. Afraid of a world he could no longer see, he sequestered himself at home. He finally realized, he said: “This isn’t living. This is only existing. I’m not going to lose any more of my sight, but if I continue to sit here, I’m going to lose my life” (Gamble, Jane Jayroe. “Seeking God Gives Vision and Purpose, Says Blind Author and Speaker.” The Oklahoman, 2 Oct. 2021). Though deeply religious, Stovall understood that he had to cease using his religious practices to hide from the world.

Stovall rebounded, became an investment broker, and founded the Narrative Television Network, which adds descriptive narration to movie and TV scenes so that people with blindness or visual impairment can better engage with those visual media. Stovall won an Emmy in 1990 for his NTN work; he also has won numerous humanitarian awards. Stovall also began to give lectures, publish newspaper columns, and write books, having published over a dozen. His most famous, The Ultimate Gift, which has sold over four-million copies, has become a touchstone in the self-help and inspirational communities.

Much of the following of The Ultimate Gift and Stovall’s other books and films exists within the evangelical Christian community and other Protestant churches. Stovall isn’t targeting that audience specifically—his message is for everyone, Christian or otherwise, the book’s occasional biblical references notwithstanding—but the film version is considered a product of the Christian film industry.

Stovall, an Oklahoma native and graduate of Oral Roberts University, places much of The Ultimate Gift’s action in Texas. His reach, though, extends well beyond the region: The central action locale for the novel is Massachusetts; NTN is a national resource; and his lecture work takes him from America’s east coast to Hawaii.

Reaching out in service to others is a major theme of the novel, but another Stovall theme is moving forward in life. He cites spider monkeys: They can be captured by placing a peanut inside a jar and setting the jar at the base of their tree. The next day, a spider monkey will have its hand stuck in the jar. They can’t let go of things, he claims, that don’t work for them: “The next time you want to give up or not try, think about the spider monkey” (Crosby, Johanna. “Blind Motivational Speaker Shares His Story With Cape Students.” Cape Cod Times, 28 Sept. 2007).

Jim Stovall thus is known for his compassion. His NTN work helps millions of people with blindness, and his inspirational books encourage readers to get past limiting beliefs and do themselves a favor by doing great things for others.