Not This Again!

Guest (Male): Welcome to Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Here’s Joni to tell us about something that keeps surprising her over and over again.
Joni Eareckson Tada: You would think I’d get it by now, what with five decades of paralysis under my belt and having worn out at least six wheelchairs in that time. Still, it blindsides me. It takes me unawares. It ambushes me. I’m talking about trials. They still surprise me. Do they you? I guess my human nature still expects life to be easy, to go smoothly. Here’s an example. At night I use a breathing machine, and it means wearing a mask all night. It’s one of those finicky masks that goes over your nose. If it doesn’t rest on your nose just Goldilocks-right, just perfect, then air escapes and hits me in the eye. Other people, if you’re a CPAP user or BiPAP, if you wear such things at night, you can probably reach up, even though you might be half asleep, adjust the mask a bit, and that’s it. You’re back to sleep. But because of my paralysis, I cannot do that. When Ken starts me off at night, he has to put that mask on me just so, and I situate my head and dare not move my head on the pillow from that position, or the mask will slip. Air will start hissing. If that happens—and sometimes it does after an hour or so—I’ve got to wake my husband up. He’s got to get up, redo the mask, and even that readjustment might not last. Air will start hissing, and we’ll have to do it again at 3:00 AM or 5:00 AM. You get the picture. The other night it happened. The hissing air woke me up and it’s like, “Why? Not this again!” I was so frustrated by this pesky problem. I felt helpless not being able to adjust the mask myself. In addition, I felt like a big burden. When morning arrived, I was so discouraged before the day had begun. No matter how often trials happen, my knee-jerk response is to think, “What? Why? Not this again!” No matter what shape or size the trial, these things still surprise me. They still ambush me. They still sometimes plummet me into discouragement. Yesterday, I decided it was time for a refresher course. First Peter chapter 4, verse 12 says, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” The next verse explains why. Don’t be surprised at these trials; they’re not strange or unusual because they are designed by God to give you a taste of the hardships Jesus had to go through. Right there in that verse are three quick little lessons. Because trials will happen—they are guaranteed—that means don’t be surprised. Elsewhere the Bible says we are destined for them. It’s why we shouldn’t be surprised when they are painful, messy, or inconvenient, because they come to test your faith. From God’s point of view, that’s life. It’s why He sends trials in the first place. Finally, it’s why we can rejoice. Through those trials, you get to identify with Jesus. You get to see life as He saw it. You get to feel a little of His disappointment, and you get to participate with Him in His sufferings. Aren't you glad He understands? My husband Ken and I are still trying to figure out this breathing machine thing and the hissing of the air. Don’t worry, we are trying other masks to see if there might be a better fit. We have hope, real hope in this trial. I trust that you have hope in your trials as well, because they are designed by God to test your faith. Don't be surprised when life is painful. That’s part of what it means to follow Jesus Christ.