Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and it’s my anniversary!
That’s right. All this week you’ve been hearing me talk about July 30th being a special day in my life. It’s the anniversary of the accident in which I broke my neck. Forty-three years ago, it was; forty-three years ago today that I went swimming on the Chesapeake Bay with my sister and took the dive that altered the course of my life forever. I can understand that it may be hard for most folks to appreciate that I “celebrate” this day… and maybe celebrate is not the right word. Maybe it’s more like “remembering” – I remember this day as that point in time when God grabbed hold of my life and jerked it in a whole different direction than I would have ever planned for myself.
And just what is it that I celebrate? That I remember? Well, first, I celebrate and remember the extent to which God is sovereign over all the details of our lives. I could have drowned that day I took that dive.I could have perished. But God rescued me, for I cried out just like it says in Psalm 69, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” And you know what? God did. He saved me… saved me for a most remarkable purpose. And that’s the second thing I celebrate today: God’s purpose. This was no mistake; this was no accident. There are no accidents in a Christian’s life. God saved me for a reason and Psalm 138 says that “The Lord will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever — do not abandon the works of your hands.” Today I thank the Lord that he did not abandon me when I was face-down floating in the water. From the moment he rescued me, he began fulfilling his loving purpose in my life. And I believe that purpose is still unfolding before my eyes as he gives me the opportunity to reach out to other people with disabilities like mine, to encourage them and help them just as he has helped me.
And the third thing I celebrate is my future. You know… I don’t think if I had remained on my feet, heaven would mean that much to me. I’d probably think of it as some far-off, misty, vague sort of place where my life would finish up on a cloud with a harp. Oh, no, but my paralysis has shown me that is far from what the Bible pictures. Heaven is not the finish… heaven is just the beginning. This life is just the preparation; we’re just getting started, friends; things have barely begun down here on earth. The really exciting story will begin that moment we step into the other side of eternity. Maybe if I were on my feet my mind would be focused on earthly things, but, hey, this wheelchair is a constant reminder that my citizenship is in heaven and so I hold fast to Philippians chapter 3 where “we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Yep, I’m celebrating heaven today because I know that my response to my wheelchair this day has a direct bearing on my capacity for joy and service and worship to my Savior in heaven.
This, friend, is why I mark this special day on my calendar. The diving accident that happened 43 years ago today is only something to celebrate because it reminds me of first, God’s sovereignty; secondly, his purpose; and thirdly, that I’m heading for heaven where pain and sorrow will be far behind us. And I hope you’ll join me today in celebrating these things – if you’d like to hear more about what happened to me back on that hot July afternoon, just visit my radio page on joniandfriends.org where I’ve posted a short clip of the Joni movie. And if you’d like, I’d really enjoy hearing from you. I invite you to join me in celebrating the goodness and graciousness of our wonderful God.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends