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Marking 55 years in my wheelchair , I am committed to “ Finishing the Race ”
By Joni Eareckson Tada
When a broken neck upended my life 55 years ago , leaving me depressed and devastated , the last people I wanted to be around were wheelchair users like me . They made me feel awkward and so I basically ignored anyone with a disabling condition . Imagine my amazement when a little over a decade later , God used my own affliction to birth an international disability ministry . Somewhere within that decade , I rose above my fears of the future , depression , and my disdain for others with disabilities . God transformed my heart , changed my attitude , and showed me that there are more important things in life than walking .
I couldn ’ t wait to tell others with chronic conditions what he had done . It ’ s why I started Joni and Friends in 1979 . I knew there were countless thousands who , like me , were struggling with the same resentments and fears about their disabilities . I pulled together a team of like-hearted friends who , like me , wanted to do everything they could to make Christ real to people with disabilities around the world .
It ’ s the noble cause of Christ to which I ’ ve dedicated myself for decades and I can ’ t think of anything that gives me more joy . Even as I get older . Yet as I reach the milestone of 55 years of quadriplegia — not to mention surviving two bouts of cancer , severe breathing issues , coronavirus , and chronic pain — I hold tightly to Acts 20:24 for " I consider my life worth nothing to me except that I finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God ' s grace ."
Aging with quadriplegia may be filled with extra challenges , but it doesn ’ t demoralize me . Instead , I hold everything lightly . I don ' t grasp at my fragile life , and I certainly don ' t coddle it or minimize my activities at
Joni and Friends just because I am getting older , growing weaker , and dealing with more pain . Rather , I