Stretch Your Capacity For The Lord
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and tomorrow is such a big day for me.
And I mean, it’s a really big day. It’s my birthday, and I’m gonna be 70 – yikes! – 70 years old. You know, 2 Corinthians 4:16 talks about people like me: “Outwardly we are wasting away.” You know, it seems almost every morning I wake up and find I’m facing some new limitation, another new encroachment on my abilities. But – and aren’t you glad for those “buts” in Scripture? – but, 2 Corinthians 4 continues, saying: “Inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Yep, God’s renewing me day by day, and that keeps me hopeful and happy, no matter what my age. ʼCause I made a covenant with my heavenly Father; I made a pact with Jesus; I have an obligation to the Holy Spirit to partner with Him and all that renewal that’s happening inside of my heart. Romans 12 says, “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Maybe my quadriplegic body can’t be renewed, but my heart, and my mind and my soul can be renewed. And so I get actively engaged with the Holy Spirit every morning when I wake up and find myself – oh, my goodness, inside I find I’m younger, stronger, more energetic in my faith. Seriously? Yep, seriously. But believe me, it is hard work.
Because you would think that at the age of 70, I would have this down pat. You would think Joni Eareckson Tada should not be struggling against the “patterns of this world;” like, saying no to bad choices, or peevish attitudes, or sinful thoughts. But I do and it’s why, day by day, I’m so committed to saying no to the world’s patterns and yes to the God of the Bible. I just gotta make Him the blazing sun in the center of my universe. And as much as I’m able, by the grace of God, my life just has to revolve around Him. Day by day, I just gotta do everything from my end to stretch the capacity of my soul for God. So tomorrow when I celebrate my birthday? I’m committed to making the Lord bigger. I want Jesus to be the Niagara Falls of all the creeks and the streams in my life. I think it was John Piper who said, “Let Him become the Mount Everest among all the foothills of all the things that concern you.” So, friend, I am making it my ambition to be pleasing to Him.
And it’s why, every day, I show up at Joni and Friends, ready to squeeze every ounce of effort out of my 70-year-old quadriplegic body to make certain that other disabled people – that they get actively engaged with Jesus. I don’t mind outwardly wasting away, if it means helping others find renewal in Christ day by day. Like right now, today, our Wheels for the World teams are in Cuba and El Salvador, giving wheelchairs and Bibles in Spanish. Right now, this week, we’re holding an International Family Retreat in Santiago, Chile, telling people about the One who must be the blazing sun in the center of their lives.
My point? No matter how old you are, 17 or 70, this is the way to live. Stretch the capacity of your soul for God, and for others, by giving the Gospel. And so I’m donating my birthday to the cause! Would you please celebrate 2 Corinthians 4:16 with me, and make God large in your life and the lives of others by reaching for Christ the least, the last, the lost, of those with disabilities? Give the gift of salvation to the world’s disabled and please donate to my birthday, would you? I’d love it if you would. Get all the details at joniradio.org where I’ve posted a video with more reflections on my 70th birthday. Thanks for making God large in your life and in the lives of others.
© Joni and Friends
Joni is Donating Her Birthday!
This year marks a miracle milestone for Joni. She is looking for 70 friends, or better yet 700 friends, to donate $70 dollars each to her 70th birthday campaign! Joni is raising funds so that Joni and Friends can serve more people living with disabilities worldwide!
Give to Joni’s Birthday!