As you live with chronic struggles, God steadily transforms your pain into endurance, patience, and lasting joy. So, hang on!
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SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. And here’s a reflection from Joni on the word chronic.
JONI: Okay, so there I was in the hospital, right? – shortly after the diving accident in which I broke my neck. For a while, I stayed in the ICU and the acute care ward. And it felt strangely comforting to be an acute care patient. It meant that doctors were still trying to figure things out; there was hope I would get better; that with treatment I would improve. Well, I didn’t improve. I didn’t get back use of my hands or legs and, after a few months, they moved me from “acute care” to the “chronic care” wing. And I will never forget as they wheeled my stretcher into a new section of the hospital where people with chronic conditions were treated, I got a lump in my throat. To me, it meant “The doctors don't know what else to do with you, Joni. You’re not going to regain use of your body.” Oh, my goodness, my condition was chronic; it would probably never go away. And that not only sounded scary – it was scary.
And you can understand because I bet you have hardships that never go away. You pray and you plead until your knees are sore; yet the pinched nerve in your back does not heal, the multiple sclerosis does not halt, the Alzheimer’s does not regress, the marriage does not get better, the job promotion never comes, and the engagement ring never arrives. Well, after living for decades in a wheelchair with my chronic condition, this is my conclusion.
You see, the core of God’s plan is to rescue us from sin and self-centeredness. Suffering, especially the chronic kind – is God’s choicest tool to accomplish this, because life transformation [oh, my goodness] that’s a long process. When I broke my neck, it was not a jigsaw puzzle that I had to solve fast. It was not a quick jolt to get me back on track. No, my paralyzing accident was the beginning of a lengthy process of becoming like Christ. And that means I can heartily accept my paralysis as a chronic condition.
So, may I share with you one of my “chronic” Bible verses – a favorite? I call it chronic because this Bible verse supports me for the long haul. It says in James: “When all kinds of trials crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let that process go on until that endurance is fully developed.” Friend, did you hear that? Dealing with certain hardships is a process – a long process – that ultimately will bring endurance and perseverance, long-suffering and patience, best of all, a deep and abiding joy in Christ. And oh, friend, when that finally happens, the only thing that will be chronic will be just that: your joy in the Lord!
Well, I want to help you embrace the chronic conditions in your life. It could be a long-term health problem like mine, or maybe a family situation that’s not changing. And I want you to hang on. I want endurance to be fully developed in your life, just as it says in James 1.
SHAUNA: Thank you, Joni. And friend, to help you do that, I encourage you to become a subscriber to our Joni and Friends YouTube channel where you’ll find lots of inspiring videos of other people with chronic conditions, especially disabling conditions. These folks are trusting Christ with everything so, please carve out time to watch their testimonies on our YouTube channel. It’ll bolster your spirits and help you better understand God’s plan in suffering, especially when that suffering is long-term. It’s all there for you on our Joni and Friends YouTube channel, so subscribe today! Just go to joniradio.org for the link, and as always, thanks for listening!
© Joni and Friends