Recognizing Heroes

     Since I was a young woman I have enjoyed reading biographies and autobiographies.  It has always been fascinating to me to read about people's lives and how their experiences shaped them.  One of the heroes from my youth was Joni Eareckson Tada.  A simple dive into a lake changed the course of her life.  I cannot imagine enduring everything that she did, nor waking up to the reality of her new life.  What an amazing woman though.  In the midst of her trials, God gave her a platform to reach the nations and share her love for Jesus Christ.  If you are not familiar with Joni's life and ministry, I encourage you to learn about her.  Her testimony of faith will be a blessing to you.
     Quotes are like gifts to me and I wanted to share one of my favorite ones from Joni.
"In a way I wish I could take to heaven my old, tattered Everest & Jennings wheelchair.  I would point to the empty seat and say, 'Lord, for decades I was paralyzed in this chair.  But it showed me how paralyzed You must have felt to be nailed to Your Cross.  My limitations taught me something about the limitations You endured when You laid aside your robes of state and put on the indignity of human flesh.'  At that point, with my strong and glorified body, I might sit in it, rub the armrests with my hands, look up at Jesus, and add, 'the weaker I felt in this chair, the harder I leaned on You.  And the harder I leaned, the more I discovered how strong You are.  Thank you, Jesus, for learning obedience in your suffering... You gave me grace to learn obedience in mine."  Joni Eareckson Tada