It was on one of those stops that I met Joni Eareckson Tada. She was at this particular bus-station, seated gracefully in what she now calls a wheel chair. She asked me to try and join the Bus again, that in spite of its seeming sluggish movement, it was sure to get to the ‘expected end’. I tried to tell her that the Bus wasn’t comfortable, that the seats were wobbly and that the Driver didn’t know how to make the right turns. Aunty Tada (in my part of Africa, an 'aunty' could be a female mentor whom you love and respect) laughed and said, “the seats will no longer be wobbly if you know how to sit on them. She shared with me, how through her own Bus ride, she was able to write life transforming books. I was surprised because she’s quadriplegic (having both arms and legs paralysed). She told me of her award winning paintings. And I asked how…w? She said, “I hold my pencil with my teeth and paint”. I was shocked!
Aunty Tada is one amazing person you should meet. You know what, she didn’t start out like that. She was involved in a diving accident that affected her spin when she was 17. She told me that going through the pains was horrific but when she found Jesus and some good friends who helped her read James 1:2-4 differently, everything changed. So, while at the bus station, confused and afraid, she shared some life changing notes with me from her book *Pearls of Great Price*. I was strengthened. I made a decision to jump back into the Bus. It’s been 50 years since the unfortunate incident that confined her to a wheel chair and this is what she has to say-
What a difference time makes—as well as prayer, heaven-minded friends, and
study of God’s Word. All combined, I began to see there are more important things in life than walking and having use of your hands. It sounds incredible, but I really would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without him. But whenever I try to explain it, I hardly know where to begin. “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves.”
