CHILD OF GOD 

2026

Oil Painting

594mm (W) x 841mm (HT)

Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action" (1 John 3:18). These words draw me to the opening of this chapter: "You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children" (1 John 3:1). This reminds me of my identity, to remain teachable, and to grow in faith regardless of age. And this identity is the root from which my love is meant to flow into genuine action.

When I think of this love lived out, I am drawn to Mother Mary, who is the perfect example of faithful action and truth. Yet I often felt distant from her. Painting her became my way of spending time with her, a slow and prayerful act of getting to know her more.

In this painting, I imagine myself as a child running towards Mother Mary without hesitation and closing that distance between us in this faith journey. She extends her right hand towards me while her left hand points to her Immaculate Heart, the heart that said "yes" to God and burns with love for Him. Soft light casts onto the path and upon her, showing me the way to Him through her heart.

Barefooted and clothed in a white dress to recall my baptism, this child also expresses my longing to run toward God without fear, to offer my own 'yes' as she did, and to find the courage to live out love in truth and action with a childlike heart. Even when I fall, I am held by His love, and that same love calls me to love others as a Child of God.