You Will Be Rebuilt

When hardships come your way, you may feel as if though God has taken his wrecking ball, swung it at you, and shattered your life. But the Lord gives us the promise that with his love, we will be rebuilt!

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Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada. Thanks for joining me on "Joni and Friends.”

You know, there are so many lessons, so many things from God's Word that I have learned from these years of paralysis; so many scriptures that became solid anchor for my soul. And I love sharing these things with you, really I do, because if I can help lift your spirits, focus your heart, or point you to a Bible passage that God used to change me (sitting in this wheelchair), well … then these few minutes together are more than worth it!

I'm thinking of one particular verse that I run to even now, after so many years. Back when doctors first told me I would never walk again or have use of my hands, I was devastated. I felt like He took this wrecking ball, swung it and shattered my entire life: everything was in shambles. I had no idea where to begin, or how to begin rebuilding my life. 

My Favorite Teacher

"Watch out if you get Miss Linder," said a boy in fifth grade. "She's the meanest teacher in the school." I was in third grade then and didn't worry about Miss Irma Linder. But when I entered fifth grade, I was assigned to her class. 

She was tough. Mean. Demanding. She had eyes that saw everything we did, even with her back to us. But despite it all, Miss Linder was my favorite teacher in grade school. I learned more from her than any of the others. She had a way of making me want to learn. When I did less than my best, I had the feeling that I had let her down as much as I had let myself down. 

Since then, I've had other teachers I've loved or admired. But there's no question about my all-time, lifelong favorite teacher. His name is Jesus. Even his enemies called him "teacher" (rabbi) and recognized his great skill of communicating truth to his hearers. 

When I talk to my Favorite Teacher, I hear myself begin sentence after sentence with, "Teach me...." Those are sincere words and express my heart's desire. I want to learn and I believe my Favorite Teacher wants me to learn.

The School of Hard Knocks

Daily Inspiration

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach

How good are you at learning those important lessons we all get from the school of hard knocks that we call life? I ask that question because discovering what works for you and against you is a critical part of gaining wisdom. And, since nobody can escape this inevitable aspect of life, I know that you have all had your own personal experiences with finding things out the hard way. However, as I always say, the only thing worse than making a mistake is making a mistake and not learning anything from it. And learning from our mistakes is the focus of my message today.

Learning is an interesting, yet complicated endeavor for us humans. It’s also idiosyncratic because people tend to learn things in different ways and, as a result, react differently to various forms of teaching. Years ago I used to teach learning theory to college students. In academia, your ability to learn and then answer questions about what you’ve learned is the key to progressing and getting good grades. One thing that I learned as a teacher was that the method used for recalling information often dictated how well certain students performed on tests.