Broken Body, Grateful Heart: Joni Eareckson Tada

 After a diving accident rendered her quadriplegic, Joni Eareckson Tada went through a dark time in her life. However, just as Joni’s physical life was changed in an instant, her spiritual life also changed quickly--and permanently.

Now, Joni is an accomplished writer, singer, podcaster, painter, and advocate for the disabled. Find out how the love of Jesus Christ fills her life with joy and purpose on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories.

For more of Joni's incredible story, watch the 1979 World Wide Pictures full-length movie Joni, starring Joni herself, on YouTube here.

Listen to Joni Eareckson Tada’s podcast Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope here.

Connect with us through email at gps@billygraham.org or on Facebook at Billy Graham Radio.

This episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. aired in its original form on Nov. 15, 2015. 

Transcript

MUSIC STARTS

Joni Eareckson Tada:
00:00:01 All of a sudden, I was faced with the prospect of sitting down for the rest of my life without the use of my hands or legs, and it was absolutely overwhelming; it was terrifying.

Jim Kirkland: In a single moment, Joni Eareckson Tada’s life was changed forever and for the past 57 years she’s been quadriplegic—that means unable to move from the neck down. 

You’re about to hear how her physical weakness led to spiritual strength on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. It’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I’m Jim Kirkland.

Joni’s gratitude and joy in the Lord can really challenge each of us to look at our own attitudes … and maybe even remind us to count our blessings. Billy Graham said someone whose life has been changed by Jesus Christ gains a different perspective on their circumstances.

Billy Graham:
00:00:51 We as Christians also face various types of suffering with our friends in the world. The Christian does not allow suffering to use him. He uses it and makes it work for God’s greater glory.

Jim: You’ll hear more from Billy Graham later in the episode, but if you’re going through a difficult time and would like to pray with someone right now, you can call our 24-hour prayer line. You can call this number any time you need it—in fact, please do. The number is 855-255-7729. That’s 855-255-PRAY. 855-255-7729.

Intro: GPS: God. People. Stories.

MUSIC TRANSITION

Jim: Growing up, Joni Eareckson Tada was a whirlwind of motion, involving herself in a number of sports and outdoor activities.

Joni:
00:01:49 I was an athlete. I was a get-up-and-go kind of a girl; I loved playing tennis, riding horses, canoeing, hiking, camping.

Jim: That all changed in one moment. It was a diving accident that turned Joni’s life upside down in the summer of 1967. She was 17 years old. Joni broke her neck diving into the Chesapeake Bay and became paralyzed from her shoulders down. This began a time in her life that was incredibly dark.

Joni:
00:02:19 I was stuck on a geriatric ward in a state institution. I broke my neck at a time when there weren’t many sophisticated rehabilitation programs for young people with spinal cord injuries. In fact, there were none. And so, I was in a state institution, on a geriatric ward, for almost two years, and I became so discouraged, so despairing. I was faced with the prospect of sitting down for the rest of my life without the use of my hands or legs, and it was absolutely overwhelming; it was terrifying. 

Jim: Joni became desperate.

Joni:
00:02:52 I was suicidally despairing, discouraged; I would wrench my head back and forth on my hospital pillow to hopefully break my neck at a higher level and so as to end my life that way.

Jim: Just as Joni’s physical life changed in an instant … her spiritual life was about to change in an instant—or at the very least, overnight.

Joni:
00:03:12 People have asked me, “How long did it take God to really grip your heart and jerk it right side up? Was it days? Months? Years?” Well, I’m convinced that God made a transformation in my heart overnight. Literally, overnight. One night, I was so sick and tired of the despair, and the feelings of self-pity, I cried out, “God, if I can’t die, show me how to live.” And I’m not kidding, the next morning I woke up a different person. So, I’m convinced that when people are depressed and discouraged that God has not physically healed them, or fixed their problems, or changed their situation, it doesn’t take a long time. God can do a transformation overnight; He can do it in a short month.

Jim: It wasn’t just Joni’s attitude about her disability that was transformed, it was her understanding of the Christian life in general.

Joni:
00:04:06 My relationship with Christ, before I hurt my neck, was incredibly me-centered. Most of my prayers were all about me; all about what could God do for me? I think I confused the abundant Christian life with the great American dream. And I thought that now that I was a Christian I would lose weight, get a new boyfriend, get good grades, graduate, go to a wonderful college, meet a wonderful man who made a wonderful salary, and we’d have two-point-three children, and we’d live in a house that was furnished by Ethan Allen. I just had it all figured out—that’s what God was going to do.

Jim: But Joni says her diving accident was a “very rude awakening” from that misconception.

Joni:
00:04:43 I realized that life is not one long string of easy breezy bright days, in which there are only occasional interruptions or maybe inconvenient trials. But no, the Bible paints life as one long string of difficult days, perhaps interspersed occasionally with respites of joy and relief from hardship; life is supposed to be difficult. And even the book of Acts says that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of Heaven. And even Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble.” And so, my life, when I first had my accident, was very me-centered, but after my accident, it was the incredible support of Christian friends, and their prayers, who enabled me to look beyond my hardships and see a bright future. They envisioned success for me when I was way too weak to envision it for myself. They could see the possibilities where I could not … which is why I think it’s so important when you’re depressed or despairing to surround yourself with hopeful Christians, bright outward-looking believers who can envision a future for you that you just aren’t able to see yourself.

Jim: Joni is an accomplished writer, singer, speaker, podcaster, painter, and an advocate for the disabled. She’s founder and head of the international ministry Joni and Friends. She’s a wife and a cancer survivor—and Joni’s full of joy. But that doesn’t mean she’s happy about life in a wheelchair.

Joni: 
00:06:18 I woke up this morning taking a deep breath and saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, OK, I got to go through one more day of somebody giving me a bed bath, exercising my legs, doing my toileting routine, getting me dressed, sitting me up in a wheelchair, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, blowing my nose. Oh, God, I’m so tired of this. I don’t think I can take one more day of this. I’m so exhausted; I’m so weary of this. I cannot do quadriplegia. I can’t. It’s impossible—but with You all things are possible. I can’t do quadriplegia, but I can do all things through You, as You strengthen me.’ And He does. And that’s the miracle that happens to me every single morning. I think that by the time I go to my grave I will still be despising quadriplegia, but it will be the very thing which will drive me into the arms of my Savior every morning, and that is a great way to wake up in the morning; that’s a very Christian way to wake up—to boast in your weakness and delight in the infirmities, because these are the things that push you up against the grace of God—and that’s a comfortable, safe, secure place to be. 

Jim: Joni has prayed for physical healing. She has prayed fervently for it.

Joni:
00:07:28 And yet, I never got healed; I never experienced the healing. And I had to come to grips with whether God was being cruel and unkind in not saying ‘yes’ to a young paralytic’s request for healing, or if He was being wise and good and sovereign in His design that I should remain paralyzed for the rest of my life. But, oh my goodness, look at what has happened in these many decades since that diving accident. Now, I have learned so much more about what nearness and dearness and sweetness and intimacy is with Jesus. I wake up every morning needing Him desperately, requiring Him urgently. He has used this wheelchair to start a ministry to other people with disabilities around the world. Through Joni and Friends, our ministry, we hold retreats for families affected by disability all across the U.S. And in developing nations, we deliver wheelchairs around the world, and Bibles; we do evangelism in some of the darkest corners of the Earth, where disabled people are hidden away and there’s so much social stigma. I’m just amazed at how a ‘no’ answer from God for my request for physical healing has meant ‘yes’ to the salvation of so many other—thousands of other people with disabilities and their families—and this wheelchair is certainly worth that. 

MUSIC TRANSITION

Jim: Yes, Joni Eareckson Tada is in a wheelchair, but she walks with Jesus every day of her life. He’s bigger than her quadriplegia—and He’s bigger than whatever struggles you might have. Trust Him. You can learn more at FindPeaceWithGod.net. That’s FindPeaceWithGod.net. Also available to you: someone to pray with you at our 24-hour prayer line. 855-255-PRAY. 855-255-7729. 855-255-PRAY.

We’ve got one more bit of insight from Joni, coming up after a word from Billy Graham.

MUSIC STARTS

Voice-over: You’re listening to GPS: God. People. Stories., a podcast production of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.


Billy Graham:
00:09:55 We as Christians also face various types of suffering with our friends in the world. However, there’s a vast difference in the attitude and approach to suffering on the part of the Christian and the non-Christian.

Voice-over: Billy Graham …

Billy Graham:
00:10:09 The Christian does not allow suffering to use him. He uses it and makes it work for God’s greater glory. And as a result, there’s a peace and a joy in their hearts. Today you could receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The knowledge that Christ is yours would give you an assurance of sins forgiven. It would help you to face the suffering that you may now be enduring. Why don’t you give your life to Jesus Christ and let His grace, love, and mercy sweep your heart and soul with joy?

Jim: We can tell you more about experiencing the joy of Jesus even when you’re stuck in a difficult situation. Visit us online at FindPeaceWithGod.net. That’s FindPeaceWithGod.net. Or, call our 24-hour prayer line: 855-255-PRAY. 855-255-7729.

Our guest on this episode of GPS is Joni Eareckson Tada. A diving accident left her paralyzed from the shoulders down, but her life is not defined by her disability. Instead, her life is defined by the freedom she found in Jesus Christ—and that’s a blessing Joni wants everyone else to know.

Joni:
00:11:29 I don’t want to get to Heaven and stand before the judgment seat of Christ and have Him look at me and say, ‘Why did you not pass on the blessings I gave you?’ I don’t want to hear those words; I want to pass on the blessing quick so others might experience the same benefits of knowing Christ that I have.

Jim: You can hear more Christ-centered wisdom and insight from Joni on her podcast. It’s called Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope.

We want to thank Joni for joining us on this week’s episode of GPS, and we want to thank you for being there and for listening. If you’ve enjoyed this episode of GPS, let us know. You can leave a review on Apple Podcasts, comment on this episode on Spotify, or leave us a comment if you happen to be listening on YouTube. Any way you choose to do it, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. And, if this was a blessing to you, it could very well be a blessing to one of your friends or family members, so be sure to let them know about GPS.

I’m Jim Kirkland, and this is GPS: God. People. Stories. It’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association—Always Good News.

CLOSING MUSIC

# # #