God daily bears your burdens, and he has made the poor of this world to be rich in faith. He can do the same for you! All you have to do is ask.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a story to really inspire you!
Okay, so the last time we met, I told you a bit about my artwork, paintings I’ve rendered holding a brush between my teeth. Well, this year, the team at Joni and Friends, they’re showcasing two of my paintings on Christmas cards. Because I love to paint for God’s glory. I love to paint to encourage others, like you; I love the idea that my ability to draw, holding pencils or brushes between my teeth, that it might inspire you to rise above your tough circumstances. But I also love to paint to help other disabled people come to know Jesus Christ. It’s why, every year, I offer you my Christmas cards that showcase my paintings. Because when you use them to send to your friends at Christmas, you’re also sending the peace of Christ to people with disabilities that we serve at Joni and Friends. Children like Nestor in Mexico. Little Nestor arrived at our Wheels for the World outreach with his kind, loving young mother, Cristina. They had traveled a far distance from a very poor village. Unable to walk, Cristina had to carry him! And Nestor was desperate for a wheelchair. He and his mother, though, knew they would never be able to afford such a luxury.
So, you can imagine their delight when our Wheels for the World team was able to fit this little boy with cerebral palsy to a junior-sized wheelchair that was perfect for him. No longer does Cristina, his mother; no longer does she need to carry her son on her back – and he’s not small; I mean, you’ve got to go to joniradio.org today, and see it for yourself from the photos I’ve posted. The Bible says that God is the one who daily bears our burdens; and now, Cristina need not be burdened by carrying her son everywhere. Because God has lifted that burden. He’s given Nestor the perfect wheelchair. And this little boy with CP is the perfect illustration of God’s love highlighted in 1 Samuel 2:8. It says, “He raises the poor from the dust and [he] lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.” That little guy down in Mexico has been raised from the dirt. God has lifted this needy boy from the ash and he has seated him on a throne of honor – it’s a little wheelchair that has the ability to grow with Nestor as he grows older. And you know what?
Never did I think when I started painting with my mouth, that my artwork would be used by the Lord to reach other people with disabilities around the world – people whose lives are far more difficult than mine – like Nestor and Cristina in Mexico. Because, as I said, all proceeds from those cards go directly to help people like them find Jesus Christ in the midst of their poverty and helplessness. So, come visit joniradio.org and see what I have painted for my Christmas cards this year. And help us lift the needy from the ash heap; help us seat them in the mainstream of life as we give Bibles and wheelchairs to the world’s disabled. I’m pretty excited about my artwork for this year’s designs, so take a look for yourself at joniradio.org. Oh, oh, and one more thing. Be encouraged today that God can help you rise above your difficult circumstances. He promises to daily bear your burdens; that’s his promise in Psalm 68, and it’s hope for anyone who feels weary and worn out. So if that’s you, reach out to Jesus and experience his healing and help. God has made the poor of this world – like you, like Cristina and her disabled boy – he’s made them to be rich in faith. And he can do that for you. So be inspired by their smiles today on the photos I’ve posted at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends