Restoring the Joy
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
You probably can see that the scoliosis in my spine is getting worse (I keep slumping to the side). And the worse it gets… The more the enemy attacks my joy in the Lord. And when I feel the crunch of pain, I can even lose the joy of my salvation. Now… Never would I discard my salvation, but I ‘can’ just put just my head down and plow through. But… I don’t believe that’s the way God wants us to live with scoliosis or ‘any’ pain. Look, the Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, I’m believing it. For the joy set before ‘him’ Jesus went through hell and back! And in so doing, he secured for you and me ‘his’ joy. Friend, if you’re in pain, fix your eyes on Jesus and ‘everything’ he gained for you through his suffering. Then step into ‘his’ joy.
Rejoicing in Hardships
Joni Eareckson Tada highlights the powerful example of Andy Bush, a young man with cerebral palsy who evangelizes through his unwavering joy and refusal to complain, demonstrating how people with disabilities can shine as influential witnesses for Christ in a broken world.
