Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and today is my wedding anniversary!
I want to thank many of you who have jotted me and Ken notes of encouragement and congratulations. We’ve been married 31 years today and, oh, what a joy it is to have my best friend as my partner in marriage. It wasn’t always that way in the beginning of our life together, though—if any of you’ve read our new book, Joni & Ken: An Untold Love Story, you know the first five or ten years were pretty rough. Ken went through so much depression when the 24/7, day-to-day routines of my disability began to sink in. But we prayed, we began reading the Bible together, we began affirming one another and it made all the difference in the world.
Someone asked me the other day what has been the most special moment of my marriage to Ken. I think they were expecting me to point to some ministry trip overseas together, or some special vacation, or a romantic moment. But, my most touching memory with Ken has to do with one of the times I had pneumonia. I was in the hospital for nine long days, and they were pretty difficult for me—and for my husband. Pneumonia is a dangerous, it’s a life-threatening thing for any quadriplegic, but this particular bout was extremely rough. Every night, Ken set up camp by my hospital bedside so he could get up and help me cough during the night. He’d have to sit on the bed, press hard on my abdomen and pound on my back to loosen the phlegm; he would often get up six or seven times during the night.
Quadriplegics like me have limited lung capacity, and many don't live through such an ordeal. It's amazing that I recovered. Obviously God had much more work for me to do—and Ken, too. For all these years, we've shared a marvelous mission together since that pneumonia. And underline that word together, because Ken and I were never more “together” than when he and I were battling against my pneumonia in the hospital. One would think a feeling of togetherness would occur over a candlelight dinner or a romantic getaway. But isn’t it just like God to strengthen our unity, deepen our commitment, and breathe fresh romance into our marriage through, well, the toughest of times, and for me it was battling pneumonia together with my husband in that hospital!
The sense of being together is never stronger than when you are in the trenches with a loved one fighting a common enemy side-by-side. Stressful situations can bring us closer together. And I cannot stress enough how that word together honors God for in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 22 it says, “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” So friend, today find someone with whom you can exalt God's name together. There’s that word again, like it says in Psalm 34, “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.” And if an affliction or a disappointment or an illness is separating you from a loved one, may God give you the grace and wisdom to reach out to them in the midst of hardship. Be built up “together” with them—all for the praise of God's glory.
And, hey, today I have posted a couple of wedding photographs from that wonderful morning Ken and I said, “I do.” Me in a wedding dress? I'll never forget John MacArthur told me that when he saw me come wheeling down the aisle, I looked like a beautiful float in the rose parade (and bless his heart, he was exactly right!). So visit me today on my radio page at joniandfriends.org and see for yourself.
© Joni and Friends, 2013
Compliments of Joni and Friends
PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376