How would you react if you lost both of your arms?
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. – Proverbs 24:10, KJV
It is a rare person that never experiences feelings of defeat. When we encounter such times, there’s nothing like a good pick-me-up to get us out of the doldrums. When we ask Him to, God is faithful to provide us with the pick-me-ups we need just when we need them.
Of course, God’s promises are fully sufficient to pick us up when we are down. Sometimes, however, He chooses to associate His Word with other people whose stories inspire us to get past our current pain. For example, as The Huffington Post reports:
Huang Guofu didn’t let the childhood accident that left him armless at the age of four interfere with his love for painting. Instead, he taught himself to paint with his feet at the age of 12. He recalls staying up all night at times just to practice. After his father fell ill, Guong, 18 at the time, quit school and decided to pursue painting as a profession in order to help pay for treatments. He started selling his art on the streets where some purchased his work purely out of sympathy.
Guong soon started traveling to different cities to sell his artwork; after hearing that his paintings lacked elegance because of his technique, he taught himself to use the brush with his teeth. Using his mouth allowed him to paint with more detail.
His effort and dedication have not gone unnoticed. As his skills have progressed, so has his recognition. Huang Guofu was recently named vice-curator of the newly opened Chonqing Talents Museum. Now, dealers and art lovers around the world seek out his paintings.
Adversity comes in all shapes and sizes. When it comes, we can choose to faint. Or, we can choose to persevere. The strength and endurance to persevere comes from God, but the choice to rely on God so that we can persevere is ours. When the next day of adversity comes, don’t let it be said of you that your strength is small. Instead, access God’s power to prevail by casting your cares upon Him and by committing your way unto Him so that He can direct your paths. When you do, He’ll pick you up when you fall.
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