50th Anniversary Reflections

During July, Joni is reflecting on the past 5 decades of God’s faithfulness following her 1967 diving accident.

Decade 4: 1998-2007

When I think back on this timeframe, I warmly recall my work with President George W. Bush and his administration. When research using stem cells from human embryos became a hot national topic, I worked with the Bush Administration in promoting ethical stem-cell research using adult tissues. Everyone in the media downplayed the success of such research, touting human embryos as the only viable source of stem cells. But finally, we won our case. Now, the most successful stem cell therapies use treated cells from adult tissues – it took a lot of research and ‘modifications,’ but it finally happened (you should see the treatments for heart disease and spinal cord injury which are now in play using a patient’s own stem cells).

Soon afterward, President Bush asked if I would serve on the Disability Advisory Committee under Condoleezza Rice at the US State Department. It was an honor to serve alongside other advocates in helping the State Department understand disability concerns. However, during my tenure, I was shocked to read alarming reports about the desperate plight of people with disabilities overseas — such as mentally ill patients chained to walls in crumbling psychiatric institutions, or teenagers with cerebral palsy tied to their cribs for weeks on end. This opened my eyes and poured fuel on my passion to expose these atrocities. I knew that only a biblical worldview on disability could change these practices; people in developing nations needed to know that we are all created in God’s image – therefore, everyone must be treated with respect and human dignity.

And so, we created the Christian Institute on Disability (CID) at Joni and Friends. If we are to rid people of “better off dead than disabled” attitudes, we must make big inroads into their institutions, hospitals, rehab centers, churches and seminaries. This is exactly what the CID does – we teach people about God’s special love for the weak and vulnerable. I am so proud of what God is doing through the CID, whether it’s our on-line Beyond Suffering study course, or recruiting hundreds of Cause4Life interns to serve with us overseas.

Now when I travel overseas, I’m so touched to hear pastors in Africa say, “I used to think people with CP were cursed, but now I see the Bible says they are ‘indispensable’ to the body of Christ.” A woman in Guatemala said in tears, “I am so ashamed of the way I’ve treated people who are paralyzed. I want to change!” Another confessed, “People used to throw their newborns with disabilities into dumpsters, but now I see this is wrong!” What accounts for these changes? People are embracing special-needs children and their families because they know it pleases Christ – even they are learning to embrace their own weaknesses. And we all know that God’s power shows up best in weakness!