Why Me?

“Invite the poor, crippled, and blind to your banquet and you will be blessed." ~Luke 14:13

The sunshine in their bones radiated outward on that bright day; an aura so thirsty for summer adventure.  She met some friends at the beach on Chesapeake Bay to swim.

After arriving, she dove in quickly and instantly feared something was wrong.  Though she felt no real pain, a tightness seemed to envelop her.  Her first thought was that she was caught in a fishing net.  She tried to break free and get to the surface.

Panic gripped her when she realized she couldn’t move and was lying face down on the bottom of the bay.  As her otherwise healthy lungs began running out of air, she knew she was going to die.

Luckily, her sister saved her from drowning.

Joni’s life changed forever that July day in 1967.  She suffered a broken neck between the 4^th and 5^th cervical vertebrae; paralyzed from the shoulders down.  While her friends were preparing for college in the fall, Joni was fighting for her life and having to accept that she’d spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

Rehabilitation was extremely difficult.   Joni raged against her fate, struggling with depression and often flirting with suicide.  “Why me?” she wondered out of desperation.  

Before the accident, Joni worried that she might be missing God’s plan for her life and prayed that God would change her life – that He’d turn it around.  After months of staring at the ceiling and wallowing in her depression, Joni began to understand that this unexpected path was God’s answer to her prayer – one where she learned, adapted, and grew to better understand herself.

“It led me toward a life purpose that was neither grand nor perfect, but it seemed right,” she professed.  “And the beginning of my journey to wholeness as a person with a disability.”

Joni’s life has been full.  She learned to compensate for her handicaps.  Naturally creative, she taught herself to draw and paint holding her utensils with her teeth.  Her artwork sold to broad acclaim which provided a degree of independence.  She signed her paintings “PTL” (Praise the Lord.)

Joni has also become a sought-after conference speaker, author, and actress, portraying herself in the movie “The Life Story of Joni Eareckson” in 1978.  She’s written 48 books including her autobiography, and many children’s titles.  But her most satisfying and far-reaching work is her advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities.

In 1979, Joni began a global ministry called Joni and Friends (JAF Ministries), fulfilling Jesus’ mandate in Luke above.  She and Ken, her husband of nearly 40 years, preach God’s Word all over the world, bringing inspiration and hope; living examples of how Christ can redeem broken things.  

It’s no sin to ask God why things happen.  But can we handle his answers?

Lord, I don’t have to worry about not having a plan.  Because You have one; You’ve told me so.  It’s not an emergency backup plan, either.  It’s the perfect plan that You’ve had before I was born.  I’ll wait in silence and trust You.  Amen