faith CHATS
JOY CO UR AG EO US
Joni Eareckson Tada stakes her life on God’s promises. by Suzan Braun
W ȷustbetweenus
winter 2021
hen Joni Eareckson Tada enters a room, you hardly notice the wheelchair she’s been in for over half her life. It’s her radiant smile and joyful countenance that lights up the room and immediately draws you in.
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A diving accident in 1967 left Joni, then a teenager, a quadriplegic. “Whisked off to the hospital, I thought my life was over. Wanting to die, I cried out, “God, if I can’t die, please show me how to live, because I don’t like paralysis; this is not what I bargained for in life!’”
After several years of rehabilitation and a growing faith in Christ, she emerged with a fresh determination to help others. Now an author of 45 books, as well as an accomplished artist and global speaker, Joni advocates for people with disabilities internationally, and her ministry Joni and Friends provides aid to special needs families and training for churches worldwide. God has woven the immense struggles of her life into a beautiful tapestry displaying His grace and power as He continues to impact thousands of lives through her ministry. Joni saturates herself in God’s Word so that peace, joy, and steadfast hope flow from her heart.
