Pain can often feel unbearable, but God is always there with his grace.
SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope with a story that has quite a twist.
JONI: Okay, have you ever looked at someone going through a tough time and thought, “Man, am I glad that's not me. I could never handle that situation?” Well, sure, you have thought that. I know there are plenty of people who look at me with my quadriplegia and I think that they’re convinced they could never live in a wheelchair without use of their hands. And I understand that. I have thought the same of others. And I'll tell you someone else who thinks that – my friend Charlene. She was recently in the hospital, having temporarily lost control of her muscles. She had to be fed and had to wear an indwelling catheter. It meant no trips to the bathroom [she carried her bathroom with her] and lots of discomfort. Not to mention that others had to give her a bed bath. It was one hospital stay that was so difficult for her.
When she got out of the hospital, Charlene told me, “Joni, I don't know how you do it, wearing catheters, and having to be fed; and having to submit to bed baths. I'm so glad you're the quadriplegic rather than me. I love my independence.”
I couldn't believe my ears, and I started laughing so hard. Because you see, my friend Charlene is blind and deaf. She was basically saying, “Hey, Joni, I can do the deaf-blind thing; for me, it’s a breeze; it’s something I can handle. But that's it, no quadriplegic stuff for me.” Now can you see why I laughed so hard? I mean, man, I may be sitting in a wheelchair, but I would never want to be blind and deaf. No way!
We all have limits, right? And 1 Corinthians 10:13 is stated this way in one paraphrase; it says, “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit, he'll always be there to help you come through it.” Well, having said that, I take some issue with this paraphrase because frankly I do think that God sometimes will push us past our limits, but always, always his grace is right there ready to catch us. He hand-tailors each trial. Don't think you can do the deaf-blind thing? The quadriplegic thing? Well, if you're neither deaf, nor blind, nor paralyzed, chances are, you are right. But if, by some quirk, you lose your hearing, or your sight, or the ability to walk, God is going to give you immediate grace to catch you and match your need. Just when you think you can’t do it [no, rather more than that, you know you can’t do it]; God immediately steps right in to give you grace. His everlasting arms really will catch you. As Romans 11 says, “How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” God knows friend. He is the only one who knows, what you can and cannot bear.
No, God hasn't called you to be a quadriplegic, and you most likely will never be blind and deaf. But he has called you to bear up under the specific burden he has already placed on your shoulders. Whatever it is, he thinks you can do it. In fact, you can. And if you think you can't, take heart, that's when his grace shows up best. This is good news considering that it’s National Arthritis Month. Pain can often feel unbearable, but God is there with his grace.
SHAUNA: Friend, if you’re struggling with arthritis or trials of any kind, visit us at joniradio.org today and let us know how we can pray for you. And don’t forget, God has handpicked your trials, and he has more than enough grace to see you through them. We’ll see you at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends