Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I love inviting folks into my art studio!
Really I do. If you are ever in the southern California area and happen to drive by Agoura Hills, you just have to get off the freeway to come for a tour at the International Disability Center, because part of the tour includes a visit to my art studio. As most of you know, when I broke my neck many years ago and lost the use of my hands, I did not (thank the Lord) lose my talent. It was my occupational therapist who taught me how to write and type and draw holding pencils between my teeth. And when I got out of the hospital, I kept at it – I even took years of art lessons and studied art at the University of Maryland. And now, so many years later, I am honored that the team here at Joni and Friends displays my big originals on the lobby wall right inside the entrance to our headquarters. And I'm so grateful that next to my office is a small studio with my easel and paints…
Now, to be honest, I don’t spend as many hours at my art easel as I used to. Being in my 60’s and dealing with pain as I do, it’s gotten harder to hold those brushes and twist my neck at weird angles to cover the canvas. But when I do draw, I feel… well, I feel so free. My paintings, although, don’t “look” very free… they don’t look very painter-ly. You see, because I paint with my mouth, I'm limited. There are just some brush strokes that I simply cannot do with my mouth: big broad, sweeping strokes… wide, energetic strokes, dynamic strokes with big brushes (brushes that are too heavy for me to hold in my mouth).
No, rather, my paintings look tight; they look, well… they look like drawings. But you know what? That’s okay. I know that in heaven one day I'll paint big beautiful murals… but for now, I do the best I can with what abilities I have, and applying the talent God has given me. And because it’s His gift, I so want to glorify Him through my artwork, especially through the cards that Joni and Friends produces. After all, 1 Peter chapter 4 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.” Friend, I want to serve others through my artwork, inspiring and encouraging them to rise above their circumstances, too… just as I have done, by the grace of God. And I want to glorify Jesus by telling others, “Hey, do you see this artwork? If God can empower me to do what I can with what little I have left… then, oh my, what won’t He do in your life?”
And this week, I get to do just that. Joni and Friends has produced three lovely Christmas cards with gold-foil envelopes –first class cards with embossing and, of course, a beautiful message about the birth of our Savior. And I’d like to do a I Peter chapter 4 thing and serve you, encourage you today, and bless you by sending you these cards for you, in turn, to give your friends this coming Christmas. Just go directly to my radio page at joniandfriends.org and ask for them, and we'll get these cards off to you right away. The supply is limited, so I hope you'll contact us today. And finally, (and here's the quadriplegic speaking, okay?)… Whatever your talent, each one of you should use whatever gift he has received from God to serve others… And faithfully administer it for the building up of the household of faith. You would be amazed at what you can do when you reach down, as I once did, to discover the hidden potential the Lord has placed within you. God gives gifts so that we might build up each other – let me do that for you today at joniandfriends.org.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends