I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile.
~Job 9:26-28
I was recently watching “The Case for Faith” which is a documentary that exhibits the investigation of Lee Strobel into why people struggle with believing in God. While watching this documentary, there was one person in particular that pricked my heart. That person was Joni Eareckson Tada.
Joni has been paralyzed from the shoulders down since she was 17 years old. She has had to endure multiple surgeries and a life bound to a wheelchair. In 1979, she started “Joni and Friends”, an international ministry to spread the gospel to the disabled around the world.
Some of us would look at Joni’s situation and think, “Aw, man. That’s terrible.” Joni looks at her own situation and understands that God has made His presence known in her life through her suffering. Her paralysis has opened doors for her to bring His gospel around the world.
Just as a baby, who is getting vaccinations, has no idea that the pain he is enduring is for his benefit, we may not always understand. We can, however, trust and believe that God always is sovereign and that He loves us. We can reside in the fact that all things will come together for our good. (Rom. 8:28)
Things may look bleak but, thankfully, faith is not what we see with our eyes. It is being sure of what we hope for and being certain of what we do not see. (Heb. 11:1)
“There are a lot of people who think I’m a strong person and I’m not. I am such a weak person...But when I start to feel overwhelmed, I’ll say, ‘Oh God. I have no strength for this day but, you do. I have no resources but, you do. May I please have your resources? May I please have your strength?...Please, let me borrow your smile for the day.”
~Joni Eareckson Tada