Welcome to Joni and Friends where we’re celebrating “School is out!”
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and, as always, I just think it’s so great that you choose to spend these couple of minutes with me – because you know what, we really are celebrating the end of the school semester at a number of different universities and even a few seminaries where students have taken our accredited course of study in disability ministry. Some of these students are planning post-graduate work already in the fall to pursue special education or physical therapy… they really sense the guidance of God in their lives!
You know, I wish I would have been that sure of my future when I graduated high school. Back then, I was all signed up to go to Western Maryland College, but when, during my senior year, people asked me what I wanted to study in college, I really wasn’t sure and I felt kind of stupid for not knowing. I was athletic and I enjoyed physical activity, but I didn’t want to be a Phys Ed teacher, so I thought maybe I should become a physical therapist. “Hey, that’s what I’ll do!” I thought when I graduated! Then I took a look at the courses that were required – yikes! If I were to study all of that, then why not just become a medical doctor?! I wasn’t too sure I could handle all the science requirements. But I loved things like kinesiology and I loved people and I loved physical activity and working with my hands, so a couple of weeks after school was out, I decided I’d choose a major in physical therapy.
Of course, you know what happened a couple of weeks after school let out… that’s when I broke my neck. Fresh out of school, I was, with my diploma sitting on my desk, my upcoming freshman orientation on the calendar… I was all set to go. And a broken neck turned absolutely everything upside down.
Now the irony here is, I ended up getting into physical therapy – only on the wrong end! I ended up not being the PT… I ended up being the patient. And during those long hours in physical therapy when I was first injured, I’d look at my physical therapist working with other quadriplegics and think, “Man, I don’t know if I could ever have done this… I mean, these people work you hard. This isn’t fun!” I’ll tell you something, though, my appreciation for physical therapists and the role they play skyrocketed after that, and I just think it’s funny that God fulfilled the desires of my heart to go into physical therapy… I just didn’t think I’d go into it as the patient!
You know, you may have a child or a grandchild who is graduating high school or college and they still are scratching their head as to God’s will for their future. Well, I’ve got a great little booklet – it is so neat, it is so cool – it’s called “Guidance: Not Missing God’s Best.” And although this booklet is short, it is packed with wonderful guidelines as to how you can discern the will of God, whether it’s for a future job… or maybe relocating to another state… or marriage. Whatever decision is facing you, I know that you want your recent graduate to grasp God’s will for his or her young life. So please call us today toll-free at 888-522-5664 or you can always go online and visit me at joniandfriendsradio.org and ask for your free copy of “Guidance.” And finally, thank you for praying for the graduate in your family (Ken and I are hoping to make the graduation of my nephew Ken Tyler back east from Mt. St. Joseph’s high school)… and thank you for giving them the tools that’ll guide them into a God-blessed future.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
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Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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