Never Give Up!

Drawing and painting always came naturally to me, that is until Essential Tremors made my hands shake too hard to draw a straight line. So, I put away my drawing pencils, oil and acrylic paints, and brushes.

After fourteen years of neglect, I went into my abandoned studio, pulled out a large canvas, my brushes, paints, several photographs of irises, and took a deep breath. I asked the Lord to please hold my hand, squeezed paint out of old tubes and mixed the still vibrant hues onto my palette.

My arms took the first paint strokes onto the canvas with ease, since my tremors mostly affect my hands. I drew deep breaths and continued with growing excitement, after several hours, my back and arms ached, but something mysterious slowly came to life before my eyes.

I drew closer, stepped back, studied the photographs, shook my head, and continued to work. Finally, my back screamed loud enough for the attention it needed, which forced me to stop until the next day.

After a couple more days of the screaming game, I signed my name and sat back in triumph. The Irises, now in a gilded frame on my wall, remind me every day not to give up, not to think I can’t, because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13).