The difficulties along your road to eternity with Jesus remind you that you are on the right road. It’s the same road of suffering Jesus walked on earth.
The difficulties along your road to eternity with Jesus remind you that you are on the right road. It’s the same road of suffering Jesus walked on earth.
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Joni’s 73rd birthday is coming up and you can join her in celebrating God’s faithfulness!
Celebrate with Joni
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Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Get involved at joniandfriends.org or on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I’m coming up on my birthday!
And I am truly happy about it! Dare I say I’ll be 73 years old and with every birthday, with every year, I just, well, I can’t believe it. I get to live another day! Actually, I pretty much say that when I sit up in the wheelchair in the morning; “I… get… to… live… one more day.” Maybe even one more year, who knows, or two years. Whatever, it is all a gift.
And that’s not to say it’s getting easier. With my disability, it is, in fact, getting harder. But I always harken to something I heard Chuck Swindoll once say years ago. He said, “If I’m told that the road to my glorious destination is marred by loose rocks and potholes, [then] every jolt along the way reminds me that [I am] on the right road.” And honestly, that’s how I feel. I’m on the right road! The road to our destination is hard. It is full of problems and potholes. But that tells me I’m on the right road, because it is the same road that Jesus walked. God never intended that his Son’s path to the cross would be easy. Hebrews 5 tells us that “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered.” Jesus suffered physical pain. He suffered setbacks, disappointments. The road to his glorious destination was marred by loose rocks and potholes, but every jolt along the way reminded even him, Jesus, that he was on the right road. And he learned obedience; he learned to trust his Father through the things that he suffered. Yup, you heard me right. Even Jesus had to learn to trust and obey, just as we’re told in Hebrews.
And all these many years I’ve lived with quadriplegia; like my Savior, I have had to learn obedience from what I suffer. And it has not been a smooth ride. Look, I have dealt with a hard disability most of my 73 years, but all the hardships remind me that I am on the most glorious road to a happy destination! And I hope you can say the same about the pains and problems and potholes in your own life. Every jolt, every painful footstep can serve as a reminder that, yes, you, too, must learn obedience through the things that you go through. But it shows you’re on the right road: the road that takes you to Calvary, where you and I both learn to die to ourselves and live to Jesus. And friend, we are sharing this same hope-filled message with thousands of people with disabilities at Joni and Friends, because we want them to view their problems through the perspective of Hebrews 5. We want people with disabilities all around the world to learn to trust and obey God.
And it is why this year I am donating my birthday to this ministry. Friends have been asking me all week, “Joni, what would you like for your birthday?” and I’ve been telling them, “You know what? For me, it’s birthday number 73, and you could really make my birthday bright if you would, okay, send a gift of 73 dollars to Joni and Friends. How about that? 73 dollars, maybe seven dollars and 30 cents. What do you know? You could even, if you feel led, give 730 dollars,” I tell them. Whatever the gift, it’s going to be an investment in giving the Gospel to disabled people around the world who have yet to learn obedience to God through their suffering. We want to change that. So, if you want to join in on the birthday celebration, visit joniradio.org. And one more time, let me share these great words from my friend, Chuck Swindoll. He said, “If [I am] told that the road to my glorious destination is marred by loose rocks and potholes, [then] every jolt along the way reminds me that [I am] on the right road.” Hey, join my birthday party at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends