There is no better person to show us a different way to live than Joni Eareckson Toda. As you probably know she suffered a terrible accident while swimming. She knew herself, and Doctors told her she was paralyzed for life. She went through three years of depression. One day she prayed this prayer: God, if I can’t die, show me how to live, please. The change didn’t come right away, but she and her family noticed she had a better attitude and spirit. And she felt closer to God.

One day she asked for her paints. Her mother brought them but wondered why she wanted them. You know she was paralyzed in both her arms an legs, but she still had her mouth so she painted beautiful flowers on plain paper, but later she sold many greeting cards using the brush in her mouth. Later on, she added speech to many organizations, especially churches. I heard her speech in a church and was deeply impressed with her sweet way of talking. And she had boxed greeting cards to sell at her meetings. Joni loves Jesus and brought several others to him. Now, she was making a real career for life, but also bringing many to Jesus.

Doesn’t her story make you feel just a tiny bit lazy? It does me. Here I am, both my arms and legs ( although I must say my legs aren’t the best) .My mouth is fine, although I’m afraid I don’t use it the best way I could. Anyhow If we used what we have in a better way than we do, especially in telling others about Jesus, our lives would be happier? If we love Jesus wouldn’t we want that neighbor or friend to love him too? Why do we feel different talking about Jesus than about the movie you watched last night? Isn’t He the most important person in your life? If He isn’t maybe you have to look a little closer at yourself. Just think, if your neighbor decided to follow Jesus, because of you, wouldn’t that make you happy? I am sure Joni is. That could make for you a better life. Here’s praying, that some of you will offer the world another different way to live!

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One day I was watching a video on television. It was of a beautiful rushing river, between woods of tall evergreen trees. I watched a little bird caught by a wave of water. He was flapping his wings, trying hard to get away from that wave. I’m not sure the people who put the video together even saw the little bird, but I was watching him. He finally caught himself on a rock and hung there quite awhile. I thought he was dead, but he raised himself all the way up on the rock and saw an overhang of rock on one side. He dragged himself to that overhang and rested there, sheltered from any danger. I think he went to sleep. The video ended. I imagined him later flapping his wings and moving to one of the evergreen trees, happy to have been saved.

When I was thinking about that little bird, I thought about us. All of us have been caught in a wave like our little bird. I think it’s crazy to even look back on the last year and a half! We were told one thing that we must do, and then another thing that was entirely opposite. Our children suffered the most. Little kindergartners had to learn the computers! Seniors like me can’t fully understand them. I hated watching those little ones getting on a school bus with their faces covered with masks. And those small businesses! Honestly, they didn’t know whether they were open or closed. Or even if they would ever be open again. On top of the rules, was the scary part. Were we next to get that dreadful disease? The government and the health officials didn’t know what to do either!

But the little bird found a way. He never gave up. He knew where he could find a shelter and when he found it, he rested. He probably never gave the wave a thought again. Why don’t we find our shelter in every storm of life? God has always been there. There we were, paying attention to the government or the health officials giving orders that they didn’t even understand. And God waited! He wants us to cuddle up under his arms and not worry about any storm.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could trust God to take us through any wave so we could lay down and rest?

I have often sung this song and thought you might like these words:

When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me.When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me.

When I do the best I can, but my friends misunderstand.Oh I feel so all alone, Stand by me.