Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends. I am a competitor, and even though I can’t move much, even though I’m not very athletic anymore on the outside – still, I like to compete. But I am not the only one. I’m thinking of my friend Thad Mandsager who is also a quadriplegic. When his parents invited me to their home, I was interested to see how this young man got around in his house. In fact, I watched Thad and his brother, Nathan, play Nerf basketball in the hallway. Now I know what you’re thinking: “Basketball? The kid’s a quadriplegic… how can he play basketball?!”
At the time, Thad was twelve years old and, because he is paralyzed from the neck down, he operates his power wheelchair with a chin control. Talk about a competitor – this kid was able to balance the Nerf basketball on his mouth stick (you know, how some golfers can balance a golf ball on the end of their club? Well, that’s the way Thad was able to balance that little foam basketball on this stick he held in his mouth). Anyway, Thad was able to flick the ball up against the backboard to make his basket. Can you believe it?
After he made his first basket and then his second and third, he turned and said to me, “Hey, Joni, want to give it a try?”
“Okay,” I replied. “But fair warning: I just might beat you.” Wishful thinking! I mean, I’m the famous mouth artist. I think I know a lot about holding sticks in my mouth. Friend, I could barely balance the Nerf ball on the end of that stick. Forget it; there was no way I could balance it.As far as flicking the basketball for a lay‑up… it was impossible! I could not even hit the backboard. It just kept falling off the stick and bouncing on the floor.
Well, a few weeks later, the Mandsager family came over to our house for a barbecue. And this time, Thad brought his Nerf baseball bat – instead of an actual handle that you can grip, his daddy had flattened a part at the end so that Thad could clench the little bat between his teeth. So just picture it: there is this young man in his wheelchair swinging the bat (it’s a little bat, but still he’s got it in his mouth) and when his dad would lob him, Thad swung and sent that ball sailing over the backyard fence. “Hey, Joni,” said he, spitting out the bat, “you want to give it a try?” he said with a smile. Three strikes later, I was out.
Needless to say, Thad, my friend, is doing just fine. The kid is such an inspiration to me! And it is a reminder that you don’t have to overcome the kinds of obstacles Thad has to “inspire” others. All you need to do is take an interest in others. The apostle Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2:20, he says, “I have no one else like [my friend, Timothy], who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.” Friend, taking a genuine interest in the welfare of others – that means taking part in their activities, it means cheering them on and contributing to their efforts, applauding them from the sidelines – these simple acts of encouragement and inspiration will place you in a league like “no one else.” Friend, put a lid on the complaining and strive to offer encouragement to those who need a lift. It’s something I am reminded of whenever I wheel up to Thad Mandsager who, by the way, has now graduated from the University of New Hampshire.
Friend, drop me a line on Joni’s Corner at joniandfriends.org or you can always contact us at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376.
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