Drawing while holding pencils in your mouth is not easy!
Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and I'll never forget, shortly after my injury in which I became paralyzed… I'll never forget the first time they wheeled me into occupational therapy. My therapist knew I had a talent for drawing, so she instructed me on how to hold brushes and pencils between my teeth. Now, at first I was disgusted with the idea and I spit the pencils out. But weeks later when I realized I wasn’t going to get better, I wasn’t going to get back the use of my hands, well… that’s when I defaulted and decided writing and drawing using my mouth wasn’t such a bad idea. That was, at least, a lot more interesting than sitting in occupational therapy and doing nothing. After a couple of months, I became pretty proficient at learning how to do a lot with what little I had left – and my artwork showed the improvement.
It was a lesson I learned early on in my 'career' as a quadriplegic. The lesson is: work with what you've got, friend. The occupational therapist taught me how to use muscles in a whole new way to make up for ones that were rendered useless. In fact, I even learned how to feed myself: The good nerves in the upper part of my deltoids help me get a lot of work done that otherwise would be the responsibility of my biceps. I was able to do wonders with my limited strength.
In the same way, God's been in the 'occupational therapy' business for ages. He has so often come to weak, visionless people and worked with what they had. Whether it was Moses' rod, Samson's jawbone, or David's sling, God simply took what was made available and showed his people what was possible. Look at the way God puts it in Judges 6 when He says to Gideon, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" Well, there you have it!
To simple people like Gideon and others, He said, "I'm sending you." That was enough. That was all the guarantee they needed. That was their strength. For Gideon, the fact that God was sending him was sufficient to complete the task. No matter how weak or limited God's people are, no matter what little they have to offer, the Lord always works wonders with what you’ve got! And He's commissioning you today with His Word. If you have doubts about that, consider what Jesus says in John 20:21, He says, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Wow! Jesus seeks willing disciples who will yield whatever few resources at their disposal to carry out His purposes. Look, if God used rods, slingshots, jawbones of donkeys, and loaves of bread in the Bible to do His work, then He can use you and what little you’ve got.
Friend, in closing, years ago God commissioned me to take what little I had and use my limited skills to draw and paint holding those brushes between my teeth. And I’ve been drawing ever since. So with the Christmas season now upon us, I’d love to send you a beautiful foldout card that highlights 8 or 9 of my drawings about the birth of Christ. There’s a photo on the back that shows me drawing at my easel and this little foldout, I'm convinced, would be a great thing to show people who don’t know Jesus – I believe they’d be absolutely fascinated to see these drawings I’ve done with my mouth. To get your foldout Christmas card of my artwork, just click on joniandfriendsradio.org or you can always call me toll-free at 888-522-5664. Let me hear from you today, okay? Again, that’s joniandfriendsradio.org. And until next time, just remember to take what little you’ve got, follow God's commissioning (because you know He’s sending you), and apply your talents to the needs of people around you – Jesus will take care of the rest. After all, He’s in the ‘occupational therapy’ business.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends