Hands and house

Hands and house

Friday, March 5, 2010

Delight in Daddy

"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
                                                             Matthew 18:4


      Yesterday was Doug's birthday and for his present each of our kids painted him a canvas. They toiled hard at their work and each was so proud, I have never seen them concentrate so much. Soon Parker and Georgia were satisfied with their creations and went off to play. I wandered off to do laundry and awhile later came back to check on things. Ravenna was delightfully still painting. She looked up at me and said, "Mama, God made me an artist and I am going to make my best creation for my Daddy."

Parker's painting

      She worked and worked...three hours and layer upon layer of paint went into this piece of art. She wanted to skip dinner, let the other kids play with her favorite toys...all because she was so wrapped up in making her best for her Daddy in whom she delights. She stayed up late and at a little after 5 am the next morning (Doug's birthday), I awoke to a little person whispering in my ear, "I just have to do one more thing for Daddy." We again got out the paints and with a dramatic flourish, she added two little blue lines on the top of the painting, and then went back to her room to curl up in bed and sleep some more.


Georgia's picture (sorry it's sideways)

      I have been thinking and thinking about Ravenna and this gift. It was with such delight and love that she poured herself into the making and giving. How often do I take the time, the joy, the delight to give in such a way for my Daddy King?
     I wish you could have been there to see Doug open his gifts. Each child was so proud as he "oooed" and "ahhed" over their creations. Ravenna grabbed her present and waited, wanting to be last. Then she snuggled up on Doug's lap, wiggling in anticipation as he unveiled her masterpiece. You could just see her soaking up the joy as Doug took in her painting, nothing else mattered at that moment for her. It was just she and her Daddy delighting in each other. For her, it was just pure joy to serve her Daddy who she loved. I found myself late last night "lounging" a bit longer in the delight of my Father and fell asleep just wanting more than anything to give and serve with that joy.

Ravenna's masterpiece (a picture of our family)!!

7 comments:

Valerie and Jeff said...

Wow, Ravenna is such a focused and devoted artist! And her work shows all her deep love for her daddy. What a masterpiece ... all of them are in fact! And what a touching post for this artist to read! You are so right that we should delight in and spend more joyful time with our DADDY more often.
You should have that picture matted and framed extra special--it's amazing how cool kids art can be on the wall for real!

Shannon said...

Thanks Valerie!
I absolutely love all three paintings! They are on canvas and with "real" paint so we are planning on hanging them up. I'll have to look into framing as well. There is no artwork that I cherish more than my kids!!!!

Jewels of My Heart said...

Your children are beautiful. I love the pictures. Happy Birthday to your husband and what special gifts their paintings are.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping us bring our Isabella home from China. Thank you for doing the give away, for your bracelet order, for helping tell others about us, your encouragement, and your prayers.
What a blessing you are!
God bless you,
Daleea

Carrie said...

I love this post... in addition to the adorable artwork, I love the meaning underneath. A few weeks ago at our church here in BJ, the worship leader's son (about 4 yrs old) sat with him through the entire worship set. He just set on his daddy's lap while his dad played the guitar. He soaked in the closeness. It was a beautiful picture, and I've been carrying it with me as a picture of where I want to be... drawing nearer. Your story will be added to my mental ponderings! :)

Best,
Carrie

Miller Moments said...

What a fabulous idea! I love that you had them create paintings for Doug. And they turned out beautifully!

LivingSimply, SimplyLiving said...

The love your family shares just illuminates off the screen...It just touches me so deeply:)

Michelle Riggs said...

I loved seeing the artwork! You have a talented family.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Abby!

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