Lines Of Communication

I remember the time a boy stood by my wheelchair and hit me hard.

I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and you know what, I never felt his punch; I was looking the other way and because I am paralyzed, I didn’t feel him. When this little guy failed to get my attention, he tried pinching me real hard on the leg, insisting, “Miss Joni, you can make your leg move; I know you can, just try!”

Well, that’s when I turned and realized what was going on. I chuckled and I told him, “Honey, I am trying.” “Oh, no, you’re just not thinking hard enough,” he told me. “Think harder. Tell your leg to move!” You know, a child his age cannot possibly understand what happens when a spinal cord is damaged, so, there was no way I could convince him. I attempted to explain that although I had great ideas in my head; lots of things I wanted my legs and arms to do, it’s of no use. My brain can give all the commands I want, but if the lines of communication are down – like, you know, my spinal cord and my neck – there’s no way my arms and legs are going to respond to my head. Now, here’s how this little story relates to us: because, in Colossians 2:19, the apostle Paul used the same analogy of the head and body to illustrate our relationship with Christ. A healthy spiritual body of believers works like this: the body takes its direction from Christ, the Head, as we study His Word. In response to His instructions, we, His body, respond with thanksgiving and then trust and obedience.

But what happens when those communication lines break down? What if there’s this, this spinal cord injury, this spiritual injury, between the head and the body? It happens all the time. It happens when a Christian willfully refuses to trust and obey the Lord – that person is responsible for damaging the lines of communication between himself and God. It talks about that in Colossians chapter two. And I think my own body is the best visual aid of that Scripture. My head, you see, has a lot of great plans and dreams for my hands and my legs. Really! But my body refuses to listen. My spinal cord injury severed the communication lines between my head and my hands and feet. As a result, all those fine plans and ideas simply stay in my head. Personally, I think my body is really missing out.

And is it all that different a situation from the spiritual condition of believers today? Our Head, Christ, has some grand things in store for us – good ideas that He would love for us to carry out, using you and me, His hands and legs down here on earth. But sad to say, we’re missing out. Our communication lines are damaged because of disobedience; God’s Word isn’t getting through. We do not trust or obey. And we don’t respond in prayer. As a result, God’s plans for our world remain stalled. And we are the ones who miss out.

What’s the result of disobedience against the Word of God? Well, how about a body like mine. Numb and useless. The body of Christ becomes weak and frail, at best. So, in this new year, I want your lines of communication to remain open, and to be sensitive to what Jesus wants you to do. And I really want to help you. So, sign up today to receive my daily e-devotional delivered directly to your device. Just go to Joniradio.org where I’ve posted a link. Join me in 2020 as together we read my daily devotional. It’s a way to keep spiritually healthy, and to paraphrase that little boy, you can make the right moves, if you try. So, see you later at Joniradio.org.

© Joni and Friends

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