Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Shauna: Joni, I know you've always been fascinated by the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 3 verse 10, where he says that he wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share in Christ's sufferings. I know you've hung on to that verse for a long time, haven't you?

Joni Eareckson Tada: Yes, I have, Shauna. In my old high school Bible, I have that verse underlined. Even back when I first came to Jesus and I wanted to know him, I wanted to know his power, but I really did not want to share in his sufferings. I thought, like many Christians, that I could know Christ in a close personal way without having to go through afflictions. Then I broke my neck, and my perspective on Philippians 3 verse 10 began to change. I noticed that Paul did not say he wanted relief from his sufferings; rather, he wanted Christ in his sufferings.

He knew—and he spoke about this in his epistles—Paul knew that the path of union with Christ always heads to the cross first before we head for the crown in heaven. Being paralyzed was at first a hard concept to embrace. Who wants to know Christ by way of the cross? The cross is a painful place where you die to self, where you have to kill your pride, where you put to death your stubborn sins and habits that you enjoy, things that have shaped who you are. I just didn't want to be crucified with Christ and say that it was no longer I who lived, but Christ who lived in me. That verse in Galatians was also underlined in my high school Bible.

After I was in my wheelchair for a while, my eyes were opened. To be a Christian means you are united with Christ, like a branch united to the vine. That union means sharing both his sufferings and his glory. Suffering is just part of the package of what it means to be a Christian. Because believers belong to Jesus, because we are united with him, we participate in everything that is his, including his afflictions. Romans 8 verse 17 says it this way: that we are heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ, provided that we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

I cannot tell you how rich and satisfying my life in Christ became once I relaxed into that fellowship of sharing in Christ's sufferings: sharing sorrow, sharing pain and disappointment, sharing grief, loss, sharing trust in God the Father, and a sharing of a love for his word. My suffering as a quadriplegic slowly became the evidence that I belong to Jesus, that I was united with him, that I still am grateful for his grace. Now I'm a little like Paul. I don't look for the relief in hardships; I look for an increasing intimacy with Jesus.

I want to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection, and best of all, to know him in the fellowship of sharing in his suffering. To fellowship with Christ in his afflictions always cultivates a warm closeness that reaches its consummation in heaven one day. Oh boy, do I look forward to that.

Shauna: Me too. Joni, I just love that sentence you said. Here it is: Paul did not say he wanted relief from his sufferings; rather, he wanted Christ in his sufferings. That's right. I know you've written a lot more about this in your new booklet called "The Hope of Heaven." Listening friend, we want to give it to you for free. Go to joniradio.org today and ask for your free copy.