Whatever you do, do it for God’s glory as an act of worship toward him. He has given your talents to you for a reason, so use them for his kingdom.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I am back at my art easel!
Now, most of you know that after the accident in which I broke my neck, it was my occupational therapist who taught me to write and type and draw and paint holding, you know, pencils, brushes between my teeth. At first, I was not very excited about the idea; after all, I had only been paralyzed for a short time, and I thought for certain I’d get back use of my hands and legs. I mean, come on, why would I need to draw with my mouth? “I’m going to have my hands back soon,” I thought. Well, after many months, it was clear that my paralysis was going to be permanent. The whole idea of living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life plummeted me into depression. But during that time when I was feeling so down, so discouraged, it was my occupational therapist who was the one, she kept urging me up to the art easel. Yes, I turned out some pretty depressing-looking things. Even though they were ghoulish, ugly drawings, I was at least improving; I was learning how to handle things between my teeth. And after a while – a long while – I turned my attention away from drawing dark, depressing images, and I started drawing and painting things that I loved drawing when I had use of my hands. Things like horses and landscapes and oceans and bright blue skies.
My occupational therapist was astounded at my talent, and frankly, I was a little surprised, as well. I mean, I had always thought that the artistic talent depended on how you held the brushes in your hand. But doing things with my mouth, I realized the talent was not in my hands; it was in my head and it was deep in my heart.
And so, for many years, for decades even, I painted up a storm. I compiled a really large portfolio of subjects that were filled with hope and inspiration. God was doing such an amazing work in my life, and I was expressing my gratitude to him on the canvas. Every Christmas I would paint renderings that reflected the joy and hope of the season – drawings of Mary holding Baby Jesus, of churches in the snow, of pine trees and snowy forests, of Christmas bells and poinsettias and holly. And every year, Joni and Friends would turn these designs into cards for the season. But then, I began to deal with chronic pain and it became more difficult to paint. My neck would get sore and my shoulders would ache. After long hours at the easel, my jaw would be painful, and it did not help that I was twisting my upper body to reach the corners of the canvases. And so, for a long, long time, I had to put away my brushes and I stopped spending time in my art studio. I couldn’t help but be sad and I would often wheel by my studio and think back on days when I could paint without pain. But that was then! As of late, I have been able to paint again, and I’m so excited. Now, mind you, okay, these originals are not big, they’re not the kinds of classy renderings I used to do, they’re small, they’re scaled down in size, but, hey, I’m back at my easel and it feels great!
And it’s why I am especially excited to be offering my Christmas cards this year; for me, I’m celebrating that my talent with art has not dried up, thank the Lord. And I am so grateful that the Joni and Friends team has put together two beautiful cards I’d love for you to see. So, take a minute and go to joniradio.org. Be inspired by the hope of the Christmas season, and be glad with me that the Gospel of Jesus will go forth; the Good News that Christ has come into the world to save sinners such as ourselves. Join in on the celebration, for I’m painting again at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends