Stretch Your Soul

Hey, if you deal with rheumatoid arthritis, my heart is with you. 

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I mean it. My friend Linda Marie struggles with RA – that is rheumatoid arthritis – and it’s so hard. It’s one of those invisible disabilities that you don’t see until your joints begin to thicken, your fingers curl, and the daily pain you privately deal with begins to show. And you already know that if you have RA, the medication you take has so many nasty side effects. Well, I want to honor you, my listening friend, if you are struggling with this difficult ailment. After all, it’s what – Rheumatoid Arthritis Day. Did you know that? And it means that lots of funds are being raised to find a cure for this painful condition. 

But I have to tell you, I love the way my friend Linda deals with her RA. Yeah, you look at her and you can tell she’s got rheumatoid arthritis. She’s had it for a long time and, yep, she lives in a wheelchair, needs lots of help. But man, do I love her attitude. Linda keeps looking to Jesus. She keeps asking the Lord to give her the same grace, power and joy that sustained him when he carried his cross up that long, painful road to Mt. Calvary. Linda keeps looking to the cross because she knows that a miraculous exchange happens there. When suffering forces her to her crippled knees at the foot of Calvary, that’s where she dies to herself. And Linda cannot kneel there for long without releasing her pride, and letting go of all her dreams and desires. She knows that this is what “coming to the cross” is all about. But in exchange, God imparts power for Linda – power to smile and persevere; give her hope, peace of mind. She rises renewed, convinced the Lord’s yoke is easy and his burden is light. 

And with her rheumatoid arthritis, as painful as it is, she once told me that the encroachments of her limitations often feel like the cutting edge of a spade, digging up twisted vines of self-centeredness and the dirt of sin and rebellion. Her suffering helps clear out all the debris of habitual sins, shoveling away pride. She knows that to believe in God in the midst of suffering is to empty herself. And that’s such good advice for us. Oh, may our hardships empty us; for when we become empty, it increases our capacity for God. The greatest good that suffering can do for you is to stretch your soul – oh man and that hurts – stretch it to increase your capacity for himself. And then Jesus – just like living water, the water that he is – is free to flow through you.

So Linda’s lessons are for you and me. And sure, not all of us have rheumatoid arthritis like her or quadriplegia like me, but all of us – I mean all of us – are weak, needy, and whether we like to admit it or not, we need help; we need each other. And Linda’s such a great example. People like her who have obvious disabilities more readily get what it means to be weak and feel needy. When we consider her character and the way she deals with her RA, perhaps it’ll make the light go on a little sooner for us. So join Linda and me today – especially if you have a significant medical condition – join us in saying, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power rests on me…for when I’m weak, I’m strong.” Say that today and watch the Lord stretch the capacity of your soul for himself. That’s your hope today, as I share it through your hardship. 

© Joni and Friends

31 Days Toward Overcoming Adversity

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