It's been a terribly long time since I have posted. This was originally going to be a Facebook post, but I couldn't stop writing. Enjoy.
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Joni began drawing and painting by using her mouth after her accident. Not only is she an incredible artist, but also speaker, singer, and writer. She also runs a company called Joni and Friends that reaches disabled people around the world with the Love of Christ.
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"a splash-over of heaven is finding Jesus in your splash-over of hell"
Reflecting on an incredible Chapel experience today. For
those of you who don't know who Joni Eareckson Tada is, let me tell you. When
Joni was 17 years old, she tragically became quadriplegic in a diving accident
as a result of a fracture between C4-C5 nerves in her neck. Today, she runs her
own company, Joni and Friends, which helps disabled individuals around the
world through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
While the entire message was amazing, one specific story and
quote struck me. I will quote the story here: "One day when Ken and I were
driving home from chemotherapy, it was a day when I was feeling particularly
nauseous … I was so worn out, so tired. And as we drove down the 101 freeway,
me in the back of the van and Ken driving, we were discussing how suffering is
like … what’s it like? It’s like a little splash-over of hell. Caught waking us
up out of our spiritual slumber, getting us thinking about what Christ rescued
us from ultimately, creating gratitude in our hearts for what he has secured on
our behalf. Yeah that’s it; suffering is like a splash-over of hell. We pulled
into the driveway, he turned off the engine and looked at me in the rearview
mirror and asked, “Well, what do you think a splash over of heaven is? Is it
those easy breezy bright days when there are no bad medical reports, when there
is no pain, where everything is going well, where everything is comfortable and
cozy? Are those things, are those days … is that a splash-over of heaven?” And
in the quietness we both agreed, no–no-no … a splash-over of heaven is finding
Jesus in your splash-over of hell. To find Jesus in your hell is so wonderfully
sweet because you recognize that this is the son of God. Oh my goodness, he has
beckoned me into the inner-sanctum of his fellowship of sharing and sufferings.
And I wouldn’t trade places for anybody in the world to be this close to
Jesus."
Wow. I was almost in tears after this story because of it's
radical truth and beauty. "a splash-over of heaven is finding Jesus in
your splash-over of hell." It's not when finances are good, bills are
paid, friendships are strong, health is in order, etc etc etc. It's in the
midst of tragedy, pain, and suffering. While I believe this and have heard this
truth before, my eyes were opened today.
Because I do find myself viewing splashes of heaven when
everything is going well in my life. Of course God is GOOD and LOVING and
GRACIOUS in times without suffering. But, what happens when we are sad?
Depressed? Suffering? God gets blamed. He gets yelled at, cursed out, even
forsaken. We, or at least I, wonder where He has gone, when the truth is He was
THERE all along….and I was the one who abandoned Him when life was good. And
the minute when the tide got rough, I wondered why HE had left me.
Recently, I've had a lot of built up frustration with
finances and how it affects people's relationships with God, dependence on
parents, etc. You see, when you go to a private school, most of the people you
attend school with come from comfortable, if not wealthy families. Debt is not
an issue, vacations are yearly if not more, and God is good. For a lot, college
debt is nonexistent because Mom and Dad pay for it and a practically new car is
normal to have. I'm not
saying that it's wrong help your children in some way, and I know that
many students are thankful for this blessing and understand the concept of
money, but for those that don't…that worries me a great deal. But that's
another topic.
A question related to this, however, that has been on my
mind lately is, "Would Jesus still be GOOD if these people suddenly lost
everything? If all their money and comfort were gone, OR even a significant
enough amount of it, would they be as happy as they are and would Jesus be
ENOUGH?"
Now, I know that is being somewhat
presumptuous/stereotypical/judgmental. But you have to admit, there is a lot of
truth there. I mean, I can honestly say, if I lost a family member or close friend, or went through something traumatic and tragic, I don't know that Jesus would be enough. If I
didn't come from a family where you struggle and have to work for what you
have, and yet you STILL struggle financially, I think I would have a entirely different picture
of who Jesus is.
But, today, my eyes were opened to such beauty. Because,
here was a woman who was 17. She was healthy, fit, and loved the Lord. And in a
blink of an eye, she lost the ability to walk and move her arms. And yet,
today, at 64 years old, she is CHANGING lives with her testimony. Jesus is
ENOUGH for her. It doesn't matter that she is wealthy because of her business,
Joni and Friends. Her money can't make her walk again. Her money can't take
away the daily pain. She suffers daily, and some would say that she is in a
never-ending "splash of Hell". But she doesn't. She is HAPPY. She’s
even thankful for her pain! “He has
beckoned me into the inner-sanctum of His fellowship of sharing in sufferings.
I wouldn’t trade places for anybody in the world to be this close to Jesus.”
This is a direct quote from an interview entitled, “How Much Pain is Enough?”
If there are people, like Joni Eareckson Tada, who live with
disabilities and pain AND still find Jesus to be GOOD and LOVING and ENOUGH, what
right do I, a fairly healthy, 21-year-old, have to complain about in
comparison? What reason do I, let alone we, have to think Jesus isn’t enough or
isn’t good? Welcome to the sweet truth of conviction, my friends. There is
beauty even in the darkest nights. And, I know, that day comes when I not only
believe, but put into action, that in the midst of my suffering that He is GOOD
and ENOUGH, will be the day that I experience Jesus is a much more intimate and
powerful way than I ever have before.
I want to leave you with more quotes from Joni. This quote
is from a few years ago, and she is cancer free today.
“He and I are so grateful for the disability, for the pain,
and—yes, in a strange way—even for the cancer, although I am far from being
declared cancer-free. All of these things help us stay hungry for the Bread of
Heaven. They help us stay thirsty for the Living Water. Suffering keeps waking
us up out of any spiritual slumber we might find ourselves in. Suffering is
the textbook that keeps teaching us who we really are. We are not the paragons
of virtue that we would so like to think we are; no, we are sinners in need of
redemption each and every day.
Suffering sandblasts us, strips us bare—strips us of our
sinful ways, leaving us raw and exposed. This is so that we might be better
bonded—better bonded to the Savior. Oh my goodness, when we leave sin behind
and our hearts start beating in rhythm with Jesus, well . . . you just can’t
help but sense the favor and the joy and the approval from God Almighty,
Himself.
When you sense His strength being syringed into your
spiritual veins—oh my goodness! When we obey God, when we become holy as He
is holy, it’s like He opens up the floodgates of heaven and joy comes cascading
down, spilling up and splashing out of our hearts and rushing out to others in
streams of encouragement, and then rising back up to God in an effervescent
fountain of praise.
Hallelujah, I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has
craved;
Jesus satisfies my longings;
Through his blood I now am saved.
("Satisfied" by Clara Tear Williams)
And then we are, as it says in 2 Corinthians chapter 6,
verse 10, “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing; we are poor, yet making many rich.
[We have nothing], yet we possess everything.” God is ecstasy beyond compare.
His Son Jesus is ecstasy beyond compare, and it is worth anything to be His
friend—anything, no matter what the hardship.”
Source: http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/revive-our-hearts/how-much-pain-enough/
-Mandy
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