Desires of the Heart

"Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  -Psalm 37:4

This is a recent drawing I did of Gabriel the Little White Dog.  I wrote an adventure story about my West Highland White Terrier (Westie) soon after I got him in 2008.  I thought the story was rather good and tried to find a publisher who'd publish it, or even an agent, but was unsuccessful.  I'm sure I gave up too soon, but in truth, I came to realize I wanted to publish it myself with my own illustrations so that I could do it the way I wanted it done--only I didn't know how to draw.  After telling myself for years I couldn't draw and making feeble attempts to learn, I finally took the leap in 2015 and publicly committed myself to learning to draw.  I did this by telling all my Morning Musings web journal readers that I would draw one of Edith Holden's illustrations from her "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" every month, not knowing whether I could or not.  I remember that first month when I sat at my art table and panicked!  It was as though something was gripping my hand keeping my pencil from moving on the page.  I got up and walked around the room trying to calm myself all the while praying.  I finally calmed, put on some music and sat down and drew and painted my first painting.  I continued this monthly torture in 2016 by drawing Beatrix Potter characters, and I can finally say I can draw!  This year I will be devoting my time to drawing and painting the illustrations for my story--finally.

I am grateful for God's help in giving me everything I needed to accomplish this feat:  time, money for classes and supplies, people who have encouraged me, and ability to control the pencil and get the picture I'm looking at onto the paper.  But also, my answered prayers asking for the confidence that I COULD learn to draw if I just hung in there, was just as important.  In the process, I know there were others who saw what I was doing and took their own step out into the unknown to pursue something they did not think they could do.