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ENCOURAGEMENT

Put on your dancin' shoes

JONI EARECKSON TADA on the strength for the future given by the hope of heaven

I wish every one of you in the UK could hop on a plane and join me at one of our Joni and Friends’ Family Retreats here in the States.

It’s five days of fun-filled activities, wheelchair hikes, wheelchair square dancing, biblically inspired workshops and times of prayer for mums and dads of kids with disabilities.

And if you were to attend a retreat, I just bet one of the highlights would be the last night – we call it Family Celebration Night and it always ends with a kicky, upbeat song of praise that gets those of us in wheelchairs out on the floor wheelin’ and swingin’ to the music. It’s the next best thing to doing a jig!

Where does the joy come from? The inspiration always effervesces on that last night because that’s when we underscore the happy-hearted hope of Isaiah 35:3-6: “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way … be strong, do not fear; your God will come … then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy.”

If you were in a wheelchair, wouldn’t hope like that make you want to kick up your heels?!

But this year, I was doubly blessed. Right after Family Celebration Night finished, a mother of a disabled child presented me with a special gift. It was a big pair of red high-topped tennis shoes! This mum explained: “Joni, all of the parents chipped in for this gift to you. We’ve all signed our names on these tennis shoes – they are your dancing shoes for when you get to heaven!” I burst out laughing.

But that night as I lay in bed, I blinked back tears, thanking God for that mother, for those families, for each Joni and Friends’ Family Retreat, and for the rock-solid, get-your-feet-jumpin’ reality of Isaiah 35. One day I’ll leap like a deer … and so will each child and adult who attends a Family Retreat.

And the promise is true for you, too. Many of you who read Christian Herald may not be in a wheelchair, but you still have to face your own trials and challenges. Today, I am writing to hope that you will draw encouragement from this marvellous passage in the Old Testament.

Friend, strengthen your feeble hands and steady your knees that give way! Soon our God will come. And together we will leap for joy and maybe – just maybe – we’ll do a jig at the foot of the throne of God in happy celebration for all that our precious Saviour has secured for us for all of eternity.

Why, it’s enough to make you kick up your heels right now!

Joni Eareckson Tada is an internationally acclaimed author, singer and artist. Paralysed for over 35 years, she serves as an advocate for disabled people worldwide. Her UK organisation is Through The Roof (CH), P O Box 353, Epsom KT18 5WS; phone 01372 749955

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		ENCOURAGEMENT Put on your dancin' shoes JONI EARECKSON TADA on the strength for the future given by the hope of heaven I wish every one of you in the UK could hop on a plane and join me at one of our Joni and Friends’ Family Retreats here in the States. It’s five days of fun-filled activities, wheelchair hikes, wheelchair square dancing, biblically inspired workshops and times of prayer for mums and dads of kids with disabilities. And if you were to attend a retreat, I just bet one of the highlights would be the last night – we call it Family Celebration Night and it always ends with a kicky, upbeat song of praise that gets those of us in wheelchairs out on the floor wheelin’ and swingin’ to the music. It’s the next best thing to doing a jig! Where does the joy come from? The inspiration always effervesces on that last night because that’s when we underscore the happy-hearted hope of Isaiah 35:3-6: “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way … be strong, do not fear; your God will come … then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy.” If you were in a wheelchair, wouldn’t hope like that make you want to kick up your heels?! But this year, I was doubly blessed. Right after Family Celebration Night finished, a mother of a disabled child presented me with a special gift. It was a big pair of red high-topped tennis shoes! This mum explained: “Joni, all of the parents chipped in for this gift to you. We’ve all signed our names on these tennis shoes – they are your dancing shoes for when you get to heaven!” I burst out laughing. But that night as I lay in bed, I blinked back tears, thanking God for that mother, for those families, for each Joni and Friends’ Family Retreat, and for the rock-solid, get-your-feet-jumpin’ reality of Isaiah 35. One day I’ll leap like a deer … and so will each child and adult who attends a Family Retreat. And the promise is true for you, too. Many of you who read Christian Herald may not be in a wheelchair, but you still have to face your own trials and challenges. Today, I am writing to hope that you will draw encouragement from this marvellous passage in the Old Testament. Friend, strengthen your feeble hands and steady your knees that give way! Soon our God will come. And together we will leap for joy and maybe – just maybe – we’ll do a jig at the foot of the throne of God in happy celebration for all that our precious Saviour has secured for us for all of eternity. Why, it’s enough to make you kick up your heels right now! Joni Eareckson Tada is an internationally acclaimed author, singer and artist. Paralysed for over 35 years, she serves as an advocate for disabled people worldwide. Her UK organisation is Through The Roof (CH), P O Box 353, Epsom KT18 5WS; phone 01372 749955 © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.