I drew this whimsical rabbit writer several years ago when I was doing a lot of pen & ink work before I came down with the virus that caused my auto immune illness.
In those days I drew and painted or wrote incessantly; from the time I woke up until I went to bed at night.
Like the rabbit character in the illustration I was always thinking of something to draw, write, or create.
I was certain that the Lord had put me on the earth to make things.

That is until I got sick with a mysterious debilitating virus and could neither write or draw, or even walk or do anything for almost four months but sit in a darkened room.
I experienced excruciating migraines.

I prayed fervently and listened to the Lord. He spoke to my heart. He told me that I had value apart from my gifts.

The Lord said that if I never drew or painted or wrote another thing, but just sat in my chair in the dark and prayed to Him I was still glorifying Him by living for Him.

For to live for Him as He chose for me to, even if I had no gift or talent to display, was to glorify Him, as long as I was doing His will, and not my own will.

He told me that I thought I had no value apart from my gifts and He needed to assure me that my value did not rest in what I could or could not do, in my gifts or talents, in my occupation, in my role as a mother or wife, in what I did for any church, in where I lived, or what kind of car I drove, or my economic status, and so forth.

My value as a human being came from Him, for I was His creation made in His holy image.
I needed to understand that.
Nothing I did or did not do could or would change His love for me.

Christ had redeemed me apart from my merits, I did nothing to earn His salvation, His grace, His forgiveness.
God loved me for me.

The Lord spoke these things to me every day.
And all I could do was listen.
It was very hard to go from someone who had walked six miles a day and created all the time, to someone who could do nothing.

As much as most might tend to avoid such verses, I clung to scriptures like those penned by the prophet Jeremiah below:

“The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them
that wait for Him,
to the soul that seeketh Him.

It is good that a man should both hope
and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence,
because He hath borne it upon him.
He putteth his mouth in the dust;
if so be there may be hope.

He giveth his cheek to Him that smiteth him:
he is filled full with reproach.
For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
But though He cause grief,
yet will He have compassion
according to the multitude of His mercies.

For He doth not afflict willingly
nor grieve the children of men.
Lamentations 3:24-26,28-33 – KJV

We take for granted that if we have many talents then it is the Lord’s will that we use all that energy like mad and think we are doing it for His glory.

In my case the parable of the talents haunted me.
I didn’t want to get to Heaven and have Christ say to me that I had hidden the talents He had invested in me.

I’d had that parable drummed into me since I was a child.
But when I got sick I discovered He wanted me to sit at His feet and worship Him and love Him and listen to Him and get to know Him.

He wanted to be my God, not art and writing and creating things.
For all those things I was making were going to burn up some day, but only those things I did that were truly His will would abide forever.

(“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:17 – KJV )


For the things that are God’s will bear eternal fruit. But the things that I manufacture from my own plans, purposes, and goals are born out of my own worldly desires.

Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 – KJV

When the Lord finally restored me, He never gave me back the health I had enjoyed before I got that simple virus that changed the whole course of my life back in 2007.

He promised me back then that He was going to heal me, but that my healing was going to be a journey.

It was like I had fallen from the top of a great mountain and now the Lord was going to walk with me every day as we climbed together back up.

But this time I would go with Him, I would be getting to know Him, and holding His hand every day, and learning His voice and doing His will and not my own.

He had to knock that false god out of my heart that I had not known I had. For indeed I had believed I was worshiping Him and doing His will.

But through my illness He showed me that the light within me was very dark.

God is indeed merciful. We can be completely blind to our idols.

How I thank Him now that He came along and set me straight. As the Psalmist wrote: “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” ~Psalm 119:67 – KJV

I lost track of my Rabbit Writer Illustration for many years, then when I was going through my files recently I found him again and thought he’d make a great gift for my Peaceangelsong’s shop.

So I asked the Lord if He would inspire a good digital card from this illustration and He gave me this one.

May this whimsical card inspire the writer or even the artist in you and be a card that will always bring a smile to your face!

The Lord also gave me a companion poetry print for this illustration~ see the variation in our shop; it is a whimsical take on the rabbit writer.

If you identify with this poem, then it’s simple to download, print and frame and add to your office.
Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you will come visit us at my new Peaceangelsong’s Gifts Shop! (My Shopify Store) https://peaceangelsongsgifts.com

Whether you choose to just browse or purchase anything, I’d love for to visit us. May you be encouraged by the gifts the Lord has given me to share with you!

In His Grace~Suzanne

Reprinted from Peaceangelsong’s Gifts Blog by Suzanne Davis Harden; Copyright © 2021 SD Harden, All rights Reserved.

Poems and Illustrations, Copyright © by Suzanne Davis Harden, Through the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Inspired by the Holy Spirit, to the Glory of the Heavenly Father, In Jesus’ name, amen, All Rights Reserved.