Blessed Amidst Stress
A note of encouragement
Isabelle Peng
3/8/20253 min read
I’ll never forget what I felt strongly God spoke to me at the beginning of this Spring semester.
“Whenever you’re blessed, the burdens will press, the enemy will harass, you’ll feel stressed and even depressed, but through it all… remember you are blessed.”
Blessings are sweet. Blessings feel good. Blessings push us forward. Blessings are commonly associated with empowerment. I can feel like dancing or jumping. I feel I can face the world! The sky is pristine blue, the golden sunshine radiates my smile. Birds fly overhead and I’m positive they’re singing, “Life is good! Life is worth living for!”
Then I feel a water droplet. Suddenly, the sun gets covered with dark puffs of clouds. The sky seems to darken. Wait, is that thunder crackled? The singing of birds turns to shrills of warning. I recognize the pang my heart, it's stress!
It’s heavy too. A weight that’s hard to carry. I feel the rain pouring and I stumble. I know it’s going to be another hard ride of pressing deadlines, moments of tears, and lack of sleep. For me, I start questioning. I start doubting. What if I fail? What if I won’t make it? What if I get a bad grade? What if…
There are so many what-ifs in this world but what if these storms can be equally a blessing?
Actually, what if they’re a sign we’re on the right track?
One of my favorite quotes I found in middle school is from Erin Hanson, “There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky, and you ask what if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?"
I was today years old when I found out that she is also an artist. I had no idea before. This makes the quote so much more meaningful to me.
Middle school was also the time I decided to be an artist. I had no idea what I was stepping into. Since then, art has been my desire.
Looking back – I would have not changed anything. The hard seasons were well worth it. The whole experience taught me a valuable lesson: What if hard seasons are actually a sign that we’re on track?
Look at flowers; they don’t sprout overnight! They too started off as seeds, in a dark season knowing nothing about how glorious the Sun can be. When they do, they have to conquer flashes of lighting and heavy rain.
Perhaps instead of looking at our stresses and messes as opposition, we may see them as opportunities to grow. These moments not only make us stronger, but are also revealing – What is it that we need to replant or relearn? What can we plant to better ourselves?
In terms of growing, my favorite class is Observational and Color Drawing this semester. Before taking this observational class and perfective class in Ringling, I had some training in still life but not with sighting and perspective. It’s definitely been stressful but it’s been so worth it. Sometimes, we have to see the grey before we can see and appreciate the color.
In the highs and lows…remember this: You are blessed indeed.
Till Next Time,
Isabelle
PS: Haha bonus blooper of the day. The side-by-side picture shows my first paper bag attempt and my final version. The left doesn’t have a distinct light source. It also doesn’t use complimentary colors to show the shadow colors. In the right one, I learned from my mistake. I used less lights. I focused on natural, sky lighting for the blue shadows and warm lighting. May this encourage you to never give up. Never settle and define yourself from one attempt. You never know what surprises will unfold.
