This abstract oil painting is #1 in “the fruit of the spirit” abstract series.
“But the fruit of the spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22-23
The idea behind this painting is the concept that love is about giving— regardless of whether or not the recipient deserves it. It is about putting the needs and best interests of another person before your own comfort and desires. It's about doing whatever it takes to ensure that this one you love is well taken care of, despite any unequity you may feel in the relationship.
My husband has got to be the easiest person in the world to live with. I am so thankful to have found him, and truly consider our relationship to be a gift from God.On the other hand, I being the artist that I am, have a much more “colorful” personality. It is an understatment to say that I am more emotional, needy, quirky, etc. than he.
All this to say, I should find it pretty easy to live life with Tim in a loving way. But even with my near-perfect mate it's still hard to do. It is hard to look at life with the mindset that somebody else matters more than me. It is hard to go beyond what comes naturally to me and do what makes the other person feel loved. It‘s just way too hard to do all this in my own strength.
That‘s why I need help. And that‘s why I need God. I need to remember that HE is the ultimate role model of true love. Even though completely innocent of all sin, He willingly gave His life for me and was executed in complete shame like the worst of all criminals. He did this because that was what I needed Him to do in order for my sins to be eternally forgiven, and because He loved me enough to put His words into action.
So when I‘m thinking about how hard it is to love, I wish my first thought would be to remember what Jesus did for me, because what I'm dealing with is like a tiny hang nail in comparison. This painting should probably be the first thing I look at when I wake up each morning — a reminder of what I‘m ultimately supposed to be doing with my life.
“Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
— 1 Peter 4:8
