I’d Rather Be…
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a very personal story.
The other day I was cleaning out an old drawer of photos and I came across a few precious ones; they were photos of me when I was in high school and on my feet. The diving accident in which I broke my neck happened only a couple of weeks after my graduation, so these photos were the last few that were taken of me when I was still able to walk and run and use my hands.
I stared at one photo for a long time. It was taken of me and my friends during an after-school scrimmage of field hockey. There I am as center forward grasping the hockey stick, feet planted, and wholly concentrating on taking the ball from my opponent. I’m wearing a red-rimmed t-shirt, shorts and shin guards. I look every bit the intense athlete and even now, more than five decades later, I can still remember what it feels like to wrap my fingers around the soft leather of a hockey stick handle. I can still recall feeling the soft dirt beneath my feet. I can hear my friends cheering, our coach calling out. It all feels like yesterday.
But for as many sweet and heartwarming feelings as that photograph brought to the surface, believe me; I had no regrets – absolutely none. In fact, winnowing through those photos was a great opportunity to test how far I’ve come, what I’ve learned, and if my present life in my wheelchair is as, if not more satisfying than high school days on my feet. And you know what? I’m more than just satisfied. Believe me, God’s plan for my life in this wheelchair—it was far more meaningful, far deeper, far more joyful and peaceful, and far more fulfilling than anything I ever dreamed about when I was on that hockey field or graduating off that stage, or packing up to head to college that fall. God’s plans are always better than our plans, even though at first it feels hard to believe. It’s like Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” I may have had great plans for a great future when I graduated from school, but the Lord had greater plans. You can always rest assured; you can always feel safe and hopeful when the Lord directs your steps.
Thankfully, there were friends who mentored me when I broke my neck, encouraging me to turn my hurting heart toward the new plans God had in store for me in a wheelchair. Sure, at first I was depressed and discouraged, but through the wonderful support and guidance of a few wise Christian friends, well, slowly but surely as I wheeled into my unsteady future as a quadriplegic, as the months passed, I discovered – what do you know – there really are more important things in life than walking, thank you, Jesus.
Hey, maybe you know a Christian sister or brother who recently suffered a debilitating injury and you want to mentor that friend, helping them to have a brighter outlook on God’s plans now that things have changed. Well I have a great resource for you. Just visit my joniradio.org to download your free copy of the book, “Go Make Disciples.” It will equip you to be that friend who opens eyes to the glory and greatness of God’s better plans when we suffer a chronic injury. Again, ask for your copy of “Go Make Disciples” at joniradio.org.
And while you are on my radio page, I posted that photo of me as a teenage ripping up the dirt on my high school hockey field; it’s kind of fun to see me on my feet in younger days. So join me, take a look at joniradio.org and let me know what you think of my grip on the hockey stick!
© Joni and Friends
