Fathers

Like arrows in the hand
of a warrior,
So are the children
of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. – Psalm 127:4, 5

“The husband and father is the head of the household. The wife looks to him for love and sympathy and for aid in the training of the children; and this is right. The children are his as well as hers, and he is equally interested in their welfare. The children look to the father for support and guidance; he needs to have a right conception of life and of the influences and associations that should surround his family; above all, he should be controlled by the love and fear of God and by the teaching of His word, that he may guide the feet of his children in the right way.”* 

* Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1952), p. 211. 

Acrylic Painting

Warmth
By Darcie Denton

With loose brushstrokes confined in a mere 3×3 inches, this piece memorializes a moment of familial love and security between my father and a 3-year-old me. It was displayed as part of a collaborative show in 2023 where I painted visual work to pair with his poetry.

Darcie Denton is a 26-year-old artist from the Chattanooga area who has had four solo shows and exhibited work throughout the eastern United States from 2019 to the present. Her artwork revolves around themes of sacredness and memory, and she explores these through paint, pastel, and other traditional media. She has also documented her experience as an artist for 10-plus years on primarily Instagram and YouTube to an audience of more than 80,000 followers.Website: http://www.darciedenton.com | Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/_thatoneartist_| YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/thatoneartist

Oil Painting

Father’s Father
By Temple Nwaejike

“No Father Should Be Without a Father”

Children live their lives in a way that is uniquely innocent and worth of emulation. Jesus Himself pointed this out. With pure hearts and clear minds—represented here as a bright heart and brain—children go about life, often making mistakes, the Bible calls “foolishness,” until they are guided and corrected.

Adults, on the other hand, have learned to hide their foolishness (depicted as dark heart and brain) through experience and skill—but not from God, who sees all.

A child looks up to their father for direction, protection, and provision, with simple, trusting faith—believing their father will supply all they need. Earthly fathers, however, while caring for their families, often forget to look up to their own Father in Heaven for wisdom and strength.

They become so focused on their responsibilities that they lose sight of the One who supports them—symbolized here by a constant, unseen hand on the shoulder. And so, they fall short of being like Him.

This piece is a 20×16 in. oil on canvased board.

Temple Nwaejike is an artist from Aba, Nigeria.