When I speak, I often give a message that centers on how God has helped me grow leaps and bounds using my wheelchair. It’s not that I glorify suffering… it’s just that I like to boast in my affliction; that is, my disability, so that people will see Jesus in my smile. That’s the whole point.
I remember once, when I was speaking somewhere in the Midwest, a woman approached me after my talk and said, “Joni, I understand what you’re saying, and I believe that wheelchair of yours has helped you grow, but still it must give you great joy to know that one day in heaven you’ll be normal again, just like those of us on our feet.”
Now I knew what she was saying, and I wasn’t offended by her comment… it just made me a little sad that she was making the mistake described in 1 Samuel 16.God tells us there not to consider a person’s appearance or his height… “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.” I'm sorry, but that’s what that woman was doing. She missed the heart of what I was saying and just focused on my appearance, my, well… sitting down in this wheelchair. She was inferring that somehow I still envied her… she assumed that I way down deep wanted to be like her. Normal, as she put it. To this dear woman, normal meant having a body that worked.
That’s not God's idea of normal. The Lord does not consider the outward appearance. And He tells us elsewhere in 2 Corinthians 4 to shift our thinking and “Fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is only temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” God is concerned about the unseen things in our lives… things like faith and trust, perseverance and patience and sensitivity, kindness and self-control. We are “normal” in God's eyes when we demonstrate endurance and long-suffering, when we keep looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, when we keep our eyes on the unseen things and focus on heavenly glories above. That is the normal Christian life. And you can live it whether you are 5’7” standing… or 4’3” sitting down. You can live it whether you have varicose veins from walking, or atrophied muscles like me from sitting. You can live it whether you run marathons or lie flat in bed.
I will not be normal someday. I am normal right now… and so are you if you abide by 2 Corinthians 4 and fix your eyes on what’s eternally important. I hope that’s you today, friend. Don’t get caught up in the here and now with appearances. Read God's definition and set your sights on Jesus. Look on the things of the heart. Focus on the invisible, eternal things. For the Christian, that’s the normal thing to do.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends