A Painting by Kendra Burton
Jesus loves everyone of every color, language, and nationality. His love has
no boundaries. He cares for each one of us individually and desires to comfort
us and to bring us peace. His joyous smile gives us hope.
The concept of the "Colors of Love" became more apparent as we attended an
extended family reunion. I looked around and saw so many colors. Many of us had
Native American ancestry. My tall red headed cousin married a beautiful girl who
has English and African heritage. Another member of the family was a Hispanic
boy. Visiting and laughing together were relatives including those with
Brazilian, Japanese, Danish, German, Middle Eastern, and Romanian heritage. They
had hair colors of red, blonde, brown, black, gray and white. Some had curly
hair while others had hair that was straight, long or short. Some didn't have
much hair at all. I saw glistening, cheerful eyes of blue, green, amber, hazel,
brown and black. Freckles dotted some people's skin while others had skin of
olive or chestnut. Many of these precious relatives joined our family through
marriage. Some were adopted from locations in our country as well as from other
places around the world.
I saw how beautiful all colors must be in the eyes of our Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ who love each one of us unconditionally. Following their divine
examples, we can see the beauty in all of God's children.
In this painting I tried to capture the feelings of our Savior's love, like a
beautiful, pleasant day surrounding us with contentment and we hope this feeling
never ends. The warm sun is shining on a happy baby who is cradled in the arms
of the Savior. This little one represents many children throughout the world.
As I searched to find models for the painting, I told friends and relatives
of the idea. A dear friend had recently adopted a child with African ancestry.
The baby was only two months old and was a perfect choice. I still needed to
find a model for Jesus. One day I spotted him in a store some distance away from
where I was standing. I was pleased that he accepted my request and I believe it
was more than coincidence that brought us together in the same place at the same
time that day.
We are loved. Each of us with our own unique look, personality and abilities
can make a difference in this world. In God's eyes every person is an amazing
work of art. He sees us as part of a beautiful pallet, each representing the
COLORS OF LOVE.
Copyright (c) 2003 Kendra Burton
