"If I can't die, You have to teach me how to live"

“If I can’t die, You have to teach me how to live.” I heard Joni Eareckson Tada say these words in a radio interview today and it shook my soul. This gut-wrenching prayer was uttered by Joni 40+ years ago, when she was 17 years old after the tragic swimming accident that caused her to become a paraplegic for the rest of her life. The prayer is as earth-shattering today as it was back then for this woman after God’s own heart. The prayer is as earth-shattering to her as it is to all who hear it said aloud.

The simple sentence contains a complex mixture of emotions that include fear, agony, despair, frustration as well as surrender and faith among many others. Above all, I think, the words are a concealed but powerful expression of hope and trust. They are words with which we can identify since, whether we want it or not, sooner or later we will all face a seemingly impossible circumstance for which we feel ill-equipped to deal with.

If I can’t __________________, You have to teach me how to __________________. We can all fill in these blanks, can’t we? I know I surely can.

What may seem as a cry of hopelessness, disillusionment, failure and helplessness is in reality a poignant expression of resolve,-one that we should all remember every time the burden weighs too heavy on our backs and we want to give up-. “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you.” Psalm 55: 22 He has promised to give us what we need in order to accomplish His carefully drafted designs for our lives.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68: 19 

God didn’t only promise these things to Joni. The same way the Lord keeps on sustaining and carrying Joni Eareckson Tada’s burdens daily; He will also carry ours.

If You want me to __________________________ and You KNOW I have not what it takes to survive it, then You need to _________________________ . I trust You, Lord. You will never leave me nor forsake me.

If you want to know more about Joni Eareckson Tada's ministry you can go to www.joniandfriends.org

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