I cannot remember a time that I did not look up to and
admire Joni Eareckson Tada. Growing up with a disabling illness, I found
it hard to find role models in the public eye who really encouraged me. When
healthy normal people talked about pain and suffering, the words just seemed to
be empty; but when Joni spoke of pain and suffering, the words mattered. Our
situations may be drastically different in many ways, but I know she is
accustomed to pain and suffering, and that has made a huge difference in my
life.
As I grew older, I became more and more aware of
Joni's spiritual depth. Her daily dependence on the Lord is evident in
everything she does and I know firsthand that God uses her words to encourage
and inspire. I cannot even count how many times I've needed to hear just what
was written in the daily Joni & Friends devotion, or how many times her
books have spoken truth into my life at a time when it was desperately needed.
I've always admired and believed in Joni and her
ministry, but a few years ago God used circumstances in my life to make the
magnitude of her Wheels to the World ministry more real to me. When my disease
took a turn for the worse, I had less and less abilities and started to have to
rely on accessibility devices more and more. I fought it at first, but
eventually I realized they had to be used to make life easier for me. I have to
admit, at first I didn't handle it too well; I mean, what 26 year old really
wants to have a toilet riser and still have to have help up when they are
finished? It was pretty discouraging to say the least. Every time I saw my
toilet riser, ramp, shower handrails, wheelchair, etc, I felt a little pang of
bitterness. They were ever present reminders that I was really sick and really
weak. I felt like they were screaming at me, telling me all the things I
couldn't do.
Then one day I was watching a Joni and Friends video
on the Wheels of the World ministry and it hit me-- what if all those
accessibility devices I needed weren't there? What if my family couldn't afford
them or if I lived in a country where they were not readily available? How much
more difficult would my life be? It was a humbling experience to say the least.
I suddenly looked at all of those things a lot differently. I no longer took
them for granted and started to try to think of them as a really strange
blessing. Don't get me wrong, if the day comes when I do not need them, I will
be overjoyed; but in the meantime I am thankful they help me and thankful to
have them as I slowly gain my strength back. That day God also placed on my
heart to donate to the Wheels of the World ministry on a monthly basis.
It's not a lot, but it's enough that one person will receive a wheelchair
each year. It amazes me how God can take a small gift on my part and literally
change someone's life. Giving someone with a disability a wheelchair is so much
more than just giving them a chair; it's giving them freedom to go out of their
house again. This may mean the opportunity to go to church or school or to just
see the outside world. It means they have opportunities that they never had
before; and with Joni and friends, they are also given a Bible and hear the
gospel, which means they then have the best opportunity of all - to accept
Jesus Christ as their Savior and secure an eternal destination.
I'm so thankful for Joni and friends and the many
aspects of the ministry. It changes lives!
Read more about this ministry at:
www.joniandfriends.org
#JAF35Years
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