Why "Father's Heart Creations"?

If you could picture or describe the ideal father figure, what would he be like? My own father was far from perfect although he was probably much better than many other dads out there. He was a fairly good provider for my physical needs, even though we went through some pretty lean times. He had a great sense of humor and loved to meet new people all the time. He was very talented in woodworking, was quite an inventor, and loved music. The place where my dad was lacking the most was in showing affection and letting me know verbally if he even liked or loved me. I only heard him say "I love you" to me once and that was not until I was in my early 50's. I struggled all my life not knowing if I truly had value and worth in his eyes, but eventually I knew he was proud of me though he had a funny way of showing it.

Unfortunately, my picture of God was based mostly on my real dad and the same holds true for most of us. I saw God as someone who was distant, who didn't really care that much about me or take much interest in me. I felt like I had to earn his approval and acceptance.

For most of my life I pictured God as a not too real figure that was very stern and ready to pound me with a club every time I screwed up, which was of course quite often. Then someone told me about the true meaning of God's grace and I found out God's not mad at me anymore since all my sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, once for all time.

After this I began to see God as someone I could trust, no matter what. He became someone I could come to anytime, any place, and climb up on his lap, knowing I'd be received with eternally open arms, love and acceptance without having to earn it. One evening my kitty "Sunny" came to me for some lovin' and, as I snuggled with her, I heard God say to me, "I want to cuddle you like that too!". I was blown away as I never dreamed he felt that way about me! My own dad had never wanted to cuddle with me and never voluntarily showed me affection!

When I was a young child my mother helped me pray a special prayer asking Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. I asked him to forgive me of my sins and come to live in my heart. Unfortunately, the church we belonged to didn't explain about the meaning of God's grace which is defined as "unmerited, unearned favor". That means it's something that cannot be obtained by working for it. We cannot earn it no matter what we do or how hard we try. It is simply a free, no strings attached gift he offers us through his son, Jesus, who took every single one of our sins, past - present - and future, on himself when he hung on the cross. Not only that, he took all the punishment we deserved because of our sin onto himself as well. He paid the price for us. once and for all, so we can be free from eternal death spiritually and, when we physically die, we can and will spend eternity in heaven with him! The word of God says, "For it is by grace you have been saved (from eternal punishment) through faith, and it's not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, so that no man can boast." Ephesians 2: 8-9

So, let me tell you what my ideal father looks like. Because I'm his child through my faith in his son Jesus Christ, I am his beloved. He accepts me as I am. He is always patient, kind, long-suffering and never takes his love or approval away from me. When I do goof up, I can always boldly approach him to say I'm sorry, and I know I'm forgiven, no matter how many times I screw up. He's the best listener ever, and knows what I want even before I ask. He gives the best answers too although they're not always the ones I want. But because of his love for me, I trust that he knows what's best for me and can see things that I can't so he protects me from things I don't always ask wisely for. He has provided for my every need and his supplies are endless, without a price tag. He loves me enough to have given me, and all mankind, a free will to make choices in every area of our life.

I'm sure by now you're asking the age-old question: "if God loves us so much, why does he allow death, sickness, disease and disasters to happen in the world?". It all pretty much goes back to what I just mentioned in the last paragraph. We all have a free will. God does not want puppets - he wants us to be free to choose to love him and accept the free gift of salvation his son has offered to all. I don't have all the answers to this question, but I do know that this world came under a curse after Adam and Eve sinned and that is why we have natural disasters. We also have to suffer sometimes the consequences of our own poor judgement plus that of those we live with and those around us. Death is a natural part of this life. Disease and sickness are sometimes a result of things like not eating right, not taking care of ourselves, the chemicals we're exposed to all the time, etc. The list can go on and on.

So getting back to why I named this "Father's Heart Creations" : it is my way of reminding us through this talent God has placed in my hands, that He wants us to see his beauty and love in nature whether it be animals, trees, mountains, lakes and sunsets. All of that is a reminder of his heart of love towards us. We live in a pretty tough world with a lot of negative, stress-filled and sometimes very scary things facing us every day. So come on in, take a good look at what God has inspired me to paint, and take a break from the things that threaten to overwhelm us

My prayer is that my paintings will draw you in to a place where you can have a moment of peace and be reminded that God's still here, that he loves you no matter what, and wants to be the kind of dad or father you've always dreamed of. He's the only one who can become that for you once you've accepted his free gift of eternal salvation through believing in and accepting his son, Jesus. I ought to know as he's truly become that for me! All of my identity now comes from my heavenly father no matter how imperfect my earthly dad was. I know I am a child of the most high God and you can be too.