Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and this is "Joni and Friends".
And last week you had a chance to meet one of my friends, Care Tuk who, if you heard the interview, has kept the best attitude through not only more than 90 surgeries… cancer, broken bones… all this and a lot of pain. But I love Care Tuk’s perspective. She says, “It’s okay to be in pain, but please don’t be a pain!” With all of Care’s surgeries, she has a lot of plates and screws and rods in her body – I’ve see the x-rays, it’s amazing. In fact, in keeping with her same bright attitude, she says that with all that hardware inside of her… she calls it her “inner bling.” She’s a strong believer who holds fast to the grace of God. Her motto? She’ll tell you: People who live for tomorrow die wishing. People who live for yesterday die discouraged. People who live for today have no regrets for they are living the very moment.
Oh, isn’t that the truth, the precious moments that God gives us. But I like that phrase about no regrets. What does it mean to live with no regrets? Second Corinthians chapter 7 talks about that where it says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.” That’s a curious statement. Just why does our salvation leave no regrets? Well, to be saved means to realize your low estate before a holy God (that’s what godly sorrow is all about). And when you realize how “low” you are, your worldly expectations can’t help but be scaled back. Sure, you may endure hardship, just like my friend Care Tuk has had to endure more than her fair share of hardships, but a lowly spirit will have you asking less of this life (expecting less of this life), because you know that more – much more – is coming in the next life. You realize, you understand, you accept that this life with all its glitter and glamour is not the only life there is. You, like Abraham, start longing for that better country. Yep! Our salvation leaves absolutely no regrets about this world. None!
If I were to take Care Tuk’s attitude… and I do, I would say it this way, “I would rather be in this chair knowing him, than on my feet without him.” And that’s the truth, I have no regrets, absolutely none… everything else, everything worldly pales in comparison. Friend, when you see yourself as among the least, the last, the littlest and the lost, God becomes everything. When you let go of all your winnings in this world, you find yourself drawn nearer to the Lord Jesus by the smallest of enjoyments. An hour of listening to Bach reminds you of God, or sitting under a tree on a blustery day. I’m reminded that this earthly body is falling apart… but that’s okay. You have no regrets about this world because all your hope is in the next, which, by the way, helps you live life better down here on earth. Just ask my friend Care. Her life is richer, fuller, deeper and more meaningful (yes, even after more than 90 surgeries). First Corinthians 3:21-23 says it best: “So then... all things are yours... the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”
A sober attitude about this earth leads to repentance which, in turn, leads to salvation and, thus, no regrets. Have no regrets!
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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