Could it be that God has allowed the suffering in your life for the sake of the people around you, as well as for your own faith? Yes, suffering is for the testing of your faith, to make you more like Christ, but God uses it to save many lives and souls around you.
You can honor Joni Eareckson Tada on the 55th anniversary of her diving accident! Give $55 to Joni and Friends to provide dignity, practical care, and the good news of Jesus’ love to those living with disability around the world.
Connect on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
After 55 years in my wheelchair I know why God allowed it.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I don’t know how many people can say for certain why God allowed a life-altering injury in their lives, but I know I can. And I want to share what God has impressed deeply on my heart. In fact, this, the day I broke my neck, I think God was envisioning Genesis 50:20. That’s the story about Joseph. He was the man sold into slavery and confined to prison for years. In the beginning, when I was struggling with why God allowed my accident, I felt like Joseph: confined, enslaved, sold into something I didn’t want to be in. Over time, those feelings of confinement dissipated, and as I learned to trust God, it was shortly after that when I started Joni and Friends and began sharing my testimony among people with disabilities. And I traveled to far corners of the world to share my story, and everywhere I went, I was amazed to see people in wheelchairs open their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Well, it was around this time I came back to the story of Joseph and I read something striking that revealed God’s plan for my accident. In Genesis 50:20, when Joseph said to his wicked brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God intended it for good,” that’s the part I always focused on; not the second part of Joseph’s words to his brothers. Because Joseph says that God purposed; that is, he intended his suffering, “for the saving of many lives.” Maybe they meant it for evil, those brothers, but God intended it for good for the saving of many lives. And that’s when it hit me: God intended my suffering to be the platform for saving many lives! And all these years through the ministry of Joni and Friends, we have seen thousands of people with disabilities open their hearts to Jesus Christ. My disability has been for the saving of many lives.
The plight of disabled people is so easy to ignore, and it’s why Jesus commands us in Luke 14 not to overlook them. He says, "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." And it breaks my heart to think that the suffering that people with disabilities endure here on earth may only be a dark omen of worse suffering to come in an eternity without Jesus Christ! But at Joni and Friends, we let people struggling with disability know that sin kills, hell is real, but God is merciful, he can save you, and Jesus is the Way! Yes, there are more important things in life than walking or having use of your hands. The most important thing is finding hope in Christ. And, friend, this is why I broke my neck. This is the point behind all the celebrating of these many years I’ve lived in my wheelchair. Genesis 50:20 explains why God allowed my life-altering injury, the injury, the injury that totally derailed my own plans and set me on a course to fulfill God’s plans – his highest plan – and that is, to reach people with disabilities all around the world with his Gospel. Otherwise, they might not hear about Jesus.
So, tomorrow, as I bow my head and thank God for his amazing plan in my life, I hope that you will do the same for the suffering he’s allowed in your life. Yes, it is for the testing of your faith and to make you more like Christ, but your suffering is never a private, personal matter. Because Genesis 50:20 was written for you, too. God has allowed your suffering for the saving of the many lives around you. So celebrate that with me! And as you do, you’ll find more hope than you can possibly contain in all your hardship.
© Joni and Friends