Hear Joni tell a touching story of her friend Cindy Stone and her family during while attending a Family Retreat.
You’ve heard lots of people sing, “Amazing Grace,” right?
But you’ve never heard it performed quite like my friend Cindy Stone sings it. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it was many years ago on Talent Night at our Pennsylvania Family Retreat held at Spruce Lake in the Pocono Mountains. Now, I should say Cindy has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair, has limited movement in her arms and hands, and cannot speak. And so, when her mother pushed her into the spotlight on stage, I wondered what she’d be doing for Talent Night. Mrs. Stone leaned down to the microphone and explained that her daughter would be singing “Amazing Grace.” Then she positioned the mike near Cindy sitting in her wheelchair and she stepped back. A hush fell over the crowd, and we all leaned forward to see what this young girl would do. We knew she could not speak, let alone sing, so what was this all about? Then, Cindy leaned forward in her chair, stretched out her fingers, and painstakingly pushed a button on her computer attached to her wheelchair. And from it came – “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”
Cindy lifted her head, smiled, and mouthed along with the communicator, doing so with the biggest smile. She lit up the entire place, and all of us were enraptured. It was such a powerful display of God’s strength in weakness [and I should say strength and beauty]. I don’t know how to describe it, but there’s something so beautiful, so winsome when we saw the power of God shining through her brokenness. And it’s true. The grace of God fills and spills over vessels that are broken and it’s why I have never forgotten her performance. Psalm 40:3 says, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to God.” Well, Cindy’s was definitely a new rendition of “Amazing Grace,” and many that night put their trust in Christ because of it. That was decades ago.
And just a few months back, I got word that 46-year-old Cindy went home to be with Jesus. She is now free of her wheelchair; free of the cerebral palsy which limited her; and best of all, she is free to sing praise to Jesus with her new voice. With words she’s never spoken. And I’m wondering if her heavenly anthem includes “Amazing Grace.” For God’s grace was, indeed, truly amazing through her. So, this is my tribute to the Stone family as they are, still, no doubt, grieving the loss of their precious daughter. It’s also a tribute because there’s another Pennsylvania Family Retreat happening this week up in the Poconos. Lots of new special-needs families are attending the retreat, and I know they will enjoy talent night watching all the kids with disabilities perform. Poems will be read, trumpets and guitars will be played, songs will be performed. And I just bet there will be some young girl in a wheelchair for whom God puts a new song in her mouth, maybe even “Amazing Grace.”
So when you got a minute today, visit joniradio.org to see a photo of me and Ken along with our friend, Cindy, and her parents, Ralph and Isabelle Stone. Again, that’s joniradio.org. And please join me in praying that the Gospel will enjoy great success at all our Family Retreats scheduled for August. Many disabled people have already come to Christ during this summer’s season of Retreats, so, please pray that God’s saving grace will be amazing to more families this month. Oh, and one more thing I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter, so just go to joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends