September 5 Limitations
September 5
Limitations
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
—2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Sitting on my dad’s knee and watching him swirl oils on his canvas…those are my earliest memories of painting. It wasn’t long before I had my crayons out, working at his side. Art, for me, was a wild and fun-filled adventure of fingerpaints, coloring books, and doodling on the backs of restaurant placemats.
My diving injury changed that. Art was no longer a wonderful exploration of limitless creativity. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, I was suddenly confined with something I had never faced as an artist: limits.
All I could see were obstacles. My teeth grasped the pencils and paintbrushes. My eyes were only inches from the canvas. My weak neck muscles tired easily. My hands were unable to hold an eraser. If anything, my interest in art should have plummeted downhill.
But my limits had a purpose. I was forced to plan my compositions more carefully. And because I couldn’t erase, I had to sit and think more—probably the most important discipline of any artist. Now I delight in my weaknesses and hardships, because my paintings are far more beautiful. Praise God for limitations!
Suffering has always been intimately linked with creativity. Limitations force us to yield, to abandon ourselves to our Creator, God. And when we do, His creativity flows!
God, You have an amazing way of always doing more with less. We give You our limitations and Your Spirit is set free to accomplish far more through us than we ever imagined. I bless You for my weaknesses.