What comes to your mind when you think about a father? Perhaps good but imperfect. Perhaps bad. If your earthly father, (or your children’s dad, or any other,) was loving, kind and good, it may have been easier for for you to see God’s love, care, and provision. If your model of father was negligent, abusive, or just pure evil, perhaps it was hard for you to trust God to be a kind, loving, caring, providing, good Abba.
But Abba is not an earthly father. Who God as Father is isn’t determined by who we saw earthly fathers be. The best of them fall far short. The worst of them may be more like their father, the devil.
The direction for this Faith Art retreat session, on God as Father, was to share your salvation story, primarily in pictures. That led me down memory lane of my life and salvation story, and also through much meditation and reflection on what God teaches us about being Father, in His Word. Where we get the true picture of Who He is, and how earthly fathers should seek to follow Him.
I’ll share my actual salvation story another time. And here, just share about YHWH as Abba, and this faith art page.
God is our Abba, Father, if we’ve been born anew through faith. He is perfect in all His ways, and chose us out of His extreme love. He brought us into His family, as co-heirs of all that is His—which is everything.
I am His daughter. He never does anything to hurt or harm me. He never neglects me. He is there and knows everything about me, even when I can’t see or feel His presence. He is working for my good, even when I don’t see it. He gives abundant good gifts, beyond what I could ask for or imagine—even when I don’t recognize, acknowledge, or be grateful for them.
I chose to represent my story with a picture (view master) reel, thinking of how our childhood growth and story is documented by pictures, preserved together to tell our story. My Abba, Who knows and remembers every second of my life, doesn’t need pictures or videos for memory keeping. But I like to think of it as such. 😊 Because He truly watches and knows each second of our life story, and every step in our growth—and He rejoices in it.
The hearts represent aspects of my life. How when Abba adopted me, made me a new creation with a new heart, He didn’t change me from being me, who He created. He just turned my heart toward Him. My love for reading, studying and teaching became a love for His Word and sharing it. My love for music and singing became a love for worship. My love for design and creativity (including thru fabric and sewing) grew into a love of making and teaching Faith Art.
But mostly, my heart turned to He Himself, as my Abba, the Father Who loves me with an everlasting love, who saved me, cares for me deeply, provides for my every need, protects me from the evil one, guides me in right paths, grants me wise counsel. The Almighty, King of Kings Who chose to adopt me, over 42 years ago—after growing up a PK’s daughter who’d never heard the gospel, to bring me into His family.
In His providence (not my planning) this page “just happens to be” next to the page in my art journal of God giving me a New Name. ❤️ The song going through my head was, of course, Good Good Father, by Chris Tomlin. 😊
Romans 8:14-17
For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons [includes daughters]. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father! ” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs — heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
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Living Coram Deo & freely whole
SDG!
~ Liberty—Life Restoration & Soul Transforming Creativity Coach
Empowering you to live a life that is Freely Whole—spirit, soul, and body—in Jesus!
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