If your spirits are low today; if you’re dealing with a disappointment, cast your worries on the Lord. He just might bless you with some wild, strange, wonderful, and surprising answer for your troubled heart.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, always amazed at how God lifts our spirits.
And with my disability, my spirits can get low. Especially when a caregiver calls at the last minute and cancels due to illness. It happened to me not long ago and it meant that I didn’t have anyone to help me with my nighttime routines and then get me into bed. My spirits sank. Now sure, my husband can do the nighttime routine, but with all the other things he does? It means the world to have help. Someone else to assist – and so, I tried to think of someone who I could call. My friend Kimmy came to mind; she lives nearby and occasionally steps in when a caregiver gets sick. So I used Siri to dial Kimmy on my iPhone, all the while praying that she’d be free to help me. Well, I heard the first ring, then the second, and then Kimmy picked up on the third. [My spirits lifted]. When I explained my need, she said, “Oh, Joni, I wish I could help, but [and with that word, my spirits sank again, but then she went on to explain] but Joni, I am in Peru with our Wheels for the World team.”
I was shocked. I mean here I thought I was calling someone a few miles away. But Kimmy was thousands of miles away. Before I could process all this, she said, “Joni, I’m so glad you called though. You wouldn’t believe what God is doing in Peru. Our American team is providing training to Christian physical therapists from five different countries. We’re teaching them how to properly fit disabled adults and kids to wheelchairs, as well as how to fashion a headrest or a chest harness or adjust the length of the foot pedals. I tell you what, these therapists from other countries are so excited; they’re learning so much; plus, they’re putting their new skills into practice as they help us distribute wheelchairs. But, Joni [she said], the best part, is that 127 disabled people opened their hearts to Jesus Christ and are now connected with a caring, local church. Oh, Joni I’m so glad you called. Thank you for your leadership in helping to make something like Wheels for the World a reality.”
My goodness, her comment really stunned me, it humbled me. I felt so honored. But in the next instant, I felt a little ashamed. Here, I was allowing my spirits to get low because a caregiver had to bow out of a routine that my husband could take care of. And I was acting like it was the end of the world. “Woe is me, I have nobody to help.” And after Kimmy hung up, I thought about the countless Peruvians with disabilities who actually have no one to help at all! And so, I went to bed very humbled. And I also went to bed praising God for an outreach like Wheels for the World and the way we are reaching for Christ thousands of disabled people across the globe with a wheelchair, a Bible, and the Gospel.
My husband helped me to bed that night, and you know what? It was fine. When I shared the story with him, Ken and I both praised God for the wild and strange, wonderful way he lifted my spirits that night, with a random phone call that connected me with Kimmy in Peru. The whole ordeal strengthened my faith, reminding me, as 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” And so, if your spirits are low today; if you’re dealing with a disappointment, cast your worries on the Lord. He just might bless you with some wild, strange, wonderful, and surprising answer for your troubled heart. And, hey, if you’d like to learn about our wheelchair outreach, go to joniradio.org and see how Wheels for the World works. Oh, and one more thing, I want to send you a copy of our Joni newsletter so just go to joniradio.org. God bless you today and thanks for listening!
© Joni and Friends