Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I am an investor!
Yep, I love to invest, but not necessarily in Blue Chip stocks or in real estate. No, every morning when I head out the door in my wheelchair, I'm ready to invest in the day. I mean… look at it this way… our days are so fleeting; we’re but tiny blips on the eternal screen; the Bible says we are wisps of smoke, fading vapor, here today and gone tomorrow… and this tells me that each day, every hour is precious! How we use those hours, how we invest in the days we’ve been given, is a tremendous responsibility. Everything we do down here on earth as Christians has a direct bearing on our capacity for joy and worship and service in heaven. And so I’m going to tell you the truth as I head into the day, I'm thinking to myself, Joni, God is going to place in your path today people and opportunities… letters to answer or phone calls to make… appointments… and at the close of the afternoon, even a trip to Gelson’s supermarket where, hopefully, you’ll run into Jose, the produce manager, who you’ve been praying for. Joni, this day is not to be wasted; make it count. Honestly, friend, it’s the only way I can live; it’s the only way I can approach my day in this wheelchair – I’ve got to look for the mission, the purpose, the point in it all… the people God wants me to bless or learn from. Because everything I do counts for eternity… God is keeping tabs, He’s taking notes. I’m in the minor leagues down here... training for the major leagues up there.
I love living this way. It’s a way of investing. Jonathan Edwards said, “In heaven we as saints will be as vessels of different sizes cast into a sea of happiness where every vessel becomes full.” In other words, what we do with earth’s opportunities will affect our capacity for joy and service in heaven. Some people (because they have squandered their days, or wasted their precious hours) will have but a small capacity for joy in service; others will have a greater capacity. I picture Billy Graham’s vessel as a thousand-gallon tanker truck. I picture my capacity for joy and service as a, well… like a bathtub full. Maybe others will have a gallon capacity for joy and service. Others may have a vessel the size of a glass; some, the size of a thimble. See what I mean? But for all these different capacities for joy and worship and service, there will be absolutely no comparison or jealousy there – no one will look at Billy Graham and be envious. No one will look down at the man with a thimble full of blessings and be proud. It’s because, no matter what our capacity, we all will be filled to overflowing and that means we will be completely content in our station in eternity.
First Corinthians chapter 3 talks about this and it’s why each day for me feels, I don’t know… special… because it is. I have a chance to invest in eternity. I have a chance, like Rumpelstiltskin, to turn the straw of this earth into gold and glory to God for all of eternity. It’s one reason why I'm so grateful for this wheelchair. In a way, your hardship gives you a head start in those eternal investments. Because every day I keep my tongue from complaining and, instead, thank God for His grace… well, there’s another investment! And it all accrues to greater glory to God – that’s the best part.
Friend, I want you to pass on this wonderful message to others. And this is why I want to send you several copies of a little tract I wrote titled “When I Think of Heaven.” See you later at joniandfriends.org.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends