When I was struggling with the reality of having a disability, there was a woman who’s faith, trust, and confidence in the Lord, really helped me try to make sense of it all. The writings of Joni Eareckson Tada helped me get a new perspective on suffering, and was very instrumental in cementing my relationship with the Lord…perhaps because her circumstances really hit home with me. Her physical circumstances are not the same as mine…but the wisdom of how to overcome her feelings, still hit home.
Joni had a diving accident as a teenager, and has been faithfully serving God for decades in a wheelchair as a Quadraplegic. Joni has a ministry called Wheels for the World, in which she delivers wheelchairs and assistive devices for the disabled. Please visit Joni and Friends to learn more about this tremendous servant of God. Her ministry link is on the right sidebar of this blog…you will thank God for the work He is doing through her.
I would like to share some words from Joni Eareckson Tada:
Leaning on Jesus
In a way I wish I could take to heaven my old, tattered Everest and Jennings wheelchair. I would point to the empty seat and say, “Lord, for decades I was paralyzed in this chair. But it showed me how paralyzed You must have felt to be nailed to Your Cross. My limitations taught me something about the limitations You endured when You laid aside your robes of state and put on the indignity of human flesh.” At that point,with my strong and glorified body, I might sit in it, rub the armrests with my hands, look up at Jesus, and add, “The weaker I felt in this chair, the harder I leaned on You. And the harder I leaned, the more I discovered how strong You are. Thank you, Jesus for learning obedience in your suffering…You gave me grace to learn obedience in mine.”
Joni Eareckson Tada