An Unforgettable Story

52 years ago, tomorrow, I took a reckless dive into shallow water – it was a fateful dive that completely altered my life.

At first, when doctors told me I would be a quadriplegic, I sank into a deep depression.

Thankfully, Christian friends were praying for me and, eventually, I began to take a closer look at the Bible to see what exactly God had to say about my circumstances. I learned that the God of the Bible is not sometimes sovereign. He does not occupy the throne one day and vacate it the next. He is supremely in charge, often for purposes we cannot understand this side of eternity.

But as we trust him, some of those purposes can become plain. And for me, his purpose has meant giving the love of Christ to thousands of people with disabilities here and abroad. That is worth decades of life in a wheelchair.

The Joni book details much of this story that God has orchestrated over the years, and by his grace alone, continues to orchestrate. When I first wrote the Joni book, I never imagined that God would take its message around the world – and it still humbles me all these years later!

It is a constant reminder to be praying for the many people with disabilities who suffer in dark, back bedrooms around the world, feeling isolated, alone, and abandoned. Oh, to be able to reach them with the hope of Christ!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Do you know someone who has gone through an accident or injury and are in need of encouragement? Consider giving them the Joni book… Send us their name, then tell them my team here at Joni and Friends and I are praying for them!

And remember, the difficult season in which you find yourself may puzzle you, but it does not bewilder God. He can and will use it for his purpose.

–Joni Eareckson Tada