Rededicating Ourselves to the Tasks Jesus Has Given Us

By Joni Eareckson Tada|Published On: July 5, 2022|Categories: From Our Founder, Joni's Posts|

Ken, Joni, and young boy using a wheelchair are smiling at the camera while holding multicolored balloons.

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”
1 Chronicles 17:16

Lately I’ve looked up to heaven, smiled from the heart, and whispered this question in breathless wonder. Who am I to enjoy a platform on national radio for 40 years? Who am I that I should be so blessed in a marriage with Ken for 40 years? And how did I ever have the strength to survive 55 years as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair?!

The answer lies with Psalm 31:15, “My times are in your hands.” The years may shift and change, but they change according to God’s unchanging love, and they shift according to the One with whom there is no shadow of turning.

With each special milestone, I praise my sovereign God who has held ‘my times’ in his loving hands.

Ken Tada standing next to his wife, Joni Eareckson Tada, who is seated in her wheelchair. Ken has both of his arms lovingly wrapped around Joni Eareckson Tada's shoulders. Both Ken and Joni are cheek to cheek smiling at the camera.

And to what end has he “brought me this far?”

That my ministry on the radio might be to the praise of his glory. That my marriage to Ken Tada might be a testimony of his guidance and grace. And that I might view my remaining years in this wheelchair as gifts of God to invest in his kingdom work for,

“my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Acts 20:24

Anniversaries are milestones in which we joyously rededicate ourselves to the tasks the Lord Jesus has given us.

So here and now, I want you to know that I am re-dedicating myself to the task of testifying to the Good News of God’s grace in a world that needs Jesus desperately.

And I am so grateful to God that you have come alongside me in this glorious task!

I cannot bear to think of the untold numbers of people with disabilities across the globe whose suffering is only a dark omen of hell, should they not have the chance to embrace Christ as Savior. Yes, together we have before us the heart-stirring task of sharing the Good News with them through Joni and Friends!

So, thank you for ‘pushing my wheelchair into the future’ as you and I finish the race and complete the task, praying, serving, and giving so that children and adults who struggle with disability will find hope and help in Jesus Christ! It is indeed why God has brought us all ‘this far’!

–Joni Eareckson Tada