My Happy Husband
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
You know, my husband Ken is one happy guy — really, he’s happy, and it shows. I mean, here he is married to a quadriplegic with all my disability routines: the guy gets up every night to turn me in bed, (that’s amazing), he’s always working hard to make things easier for me and yet, he is so happy. Now there are probably lots of root causes for his joy, but I think one reason for his happiness is his knowledge of the Beatitudes, okay? I’m serious. Ken has memorized the entire Sermon on the Mount which, of course, begins with Jesus sharing the Beatitudes with the crowd. So what does this have to do with my husband’s happy nature? Simply this: the word Beatitude comes from a Latin word that means ‘happy’ or ‘blessed.’ Just what does it mean to be happy? Like happy, down deep in your soul?
The answer to that question is found within Matthew Chapter 5 where Jesus gives the Beatitudes. And the list Jesus gives basically describes people who have learned to live with a kingdom-minded perspective. And it’s this kingdom point-of-view that helps when it comes to being happy. Like, when the Lord starts off saying: “Blessed (that is happy) are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Now, a lot of people think that Jesus is talking about those who are poor. But no, He is saying, “Blessed are you, happy are you, when you come to me in empty-handed, spiritual poverty looking to be filled, for then, I will fill you with the joy of heaven.” And I don’t think Jesus means heaven in the far-distant sense, no; I think He’s talking about experiencing the joy of heaven right now. Talk about being happy! Blessed are you if you are poor in spirit; that is, if you constantly recognize your desperate need for God in all things. Like the destitute who depend on others, people who are poor in spirit know that only God can save, only God can protect, only God can help, and only God can heal and provide for them.
And there’s the source of my husband’s happiness. You see, married to me, a quadriplegic, Ken Tada knows full well he can’t do it on his own. It’s impossible without God. And so, every day, (I mean this man, I watch him) he goes to the Lord for help. He goes in empty-handed spiritual poverty, knowing that yesterday’s grace just isn’t going to cut it. That grace is gone, and Ken knows he needs replenishing. So he goes to God out of desperate need, and that is when joy kicks in.
Friend, I know you want your heart to be happy and spending time studying the Beatitudes — that is, the Lord’s pronouncements about just who happy people are and where they get their joy. Getting into the Beatitudes will give you a solid perspective on what the kingdom of God is all about. Like I said, you and I are citizens of that kingdom, but so many of us live as though our only home is the earth. Well, there’s much more to our heavenly citizenship. The Lord Jesus is heaven-bent on sharing His joy with you today, and it begins by living as a kingdom-minded Christian. So, dig in and become more familiar with the Beatitudes, and let me give you wonderful gift which will aid you in your study. Just visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org and ask for “The Beatitude”. Again, that’s joniandfriends.org/radio. And remember, be quick to acknowledge your desperate need of God in all things — everything; for it is, after all, where you’ll find true happiness. God bless you today and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.
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