The Essence of the Father
- Paula Walker-Carrano
- Jan 20
- 6 min read
“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.”
– Isaiah 64:8 (NLT)
On November 24, 2025, Pat and I were returning from an anniversary weekend getaway; with an 8-foot Christmas tree squished between us, I might add.
Somehow, we managed to get on the topic of a mini picture-book which he’d drawn when he was a little boy. It depicted his father at work and at play. They were etches of Pat’s perspective of who his father was; an innocent framework and representation capturing a father’s essence through Pat’s eyes.
The main point Pat wanted to make in sharing this story with me was that his father still had this picture book, imperfectly framed geometrical-lines askew and colours outside of those lines. His father still had this treasure after 58 plus years, tucked safely somewhere in his keepsakes.
As usual, I wanted to dive deep into this conversation and find a way to parallel it to the love of our heavenly Father and how He too safely tucks the gifts we give to Him, placing them somewhere in His keepsakes.
What poured out of that conversation is the topic of this very blog.
The question that came to mind is, “How do we capture the essence of our heavenly Father, while using the gifts He’s given us?”
Let’s consider the average fridge door of a home with small children.
More common than not you will see magnets holding up the work of the children, as a monumental display of the precious works of their tiny hands.
How much more is our heavenly Father loving and placing on display the innocent works of our hands, purposed for His sake?
Only, the magnets He uses are attached to His heart.
I come back to brother Bez once again (re. “Lay Down Your Gifts (Vlog #2)”) and how — when building the tabernacle — he used his creative gifts to masterfully make a monumental framework around a sanctuary for the sacred.
He captured the essence of the Father, using his artistic gifting beyond ego and a personal agenda, just as children give to their own earthly father or mother.
So, how do we — as adults — return to that way of giving?
More specifically, how do we capture the essence of the heavenly Father as the gift, such that it continues to be a blessing on the proverbial refrigerator for others to witness to and receive equally from?
When I personally consider this, as a writer and singer, it makes clear sense: write songs for my Father, sing them as a gift unto Him, and hopefully others will be blessed in the process.
Putting this to practice using other gifts that are not of the artistic nature might seem less clear than my own expression.
That said, a more simple framework for this application might be taking it straight from the heart of God pertaining specifically to Spiritual gifts.
Consider the following list, when paralleling it to James 1:17 which reads, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights…”, and the question I previously posed — “How do we capture the essence of our heavenly Father, while using the gifts He’s given us?”:
The gift of Wisdom: Solomon captured the essence of the Father, leaving us with his own words and inspiration found in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.
The gift of Knowledge: “Several biblical figures showed the gift of knowledge, including Daniel, who interpreted mysteries and visions, Paul, with his deep spiritual insight, and Apollos, who was mighty in scripture; also Jesus demonstrated it with the Samaritan woman, and figures like Elijah, Peter, and even Bezalel (in craftsmanship) received specific divine knowledge for tasks.” (Thanks for that synopsis, Google) Each of these men in scripture capture the essence of the Father by putting into their own expression the gift of knowledge which in turn gifted the ones they shared it with.
The gift of Faith: There are far too many examples of this gift in scripture to make mention of, so I will use Peter as one example. Acts 3, speaks of the lame man whom Peter commanded to walk “in Jesus name” and this faith in action caused the man to walk.
The gift of Healing: Jesus exemplifies the essence of the Father through the magnitude of healing miracles in His short three years of putting this to practice. But, He made it clear in John 14:12 that this very gift of healing is ours to use: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
The gift of Prophecy: One of my most beloved prophets is Isaiah. Who is your beloved prophet in scripture and why? How do you relate to her/him? I relate to Isaiah because he also held the gift of teaching; not just saying “Don’t [touch the hot stove because I said so]” but, instead insisting “Don’t [touch the hot stove because you will get burned]. God said so.”
The gift of Teaching: I believe the obvious choice here is Paul. His letters to the churches were packed full of the majority of the Spiritual gifts. Do you relate to Paul? If so, how? And, how can you model after Paul in your own teaching?
The gift of Leadership: I believe that great leadership encompasses many of the Spiritual gifts. I also believe that when in the position of leader we are especially being watched and studied not only by other people but by the demons such that they can use our weaknesses against us. Be wise as a leader, if this is one of your gifting, lest you “[…] be [off having] a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea [for causing] one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin.” (Matthew 18:6, spoken by Jesus)
The gift of Service: The beautiful thing about this gift is its simple frame. We are all called to serve one another by way of the gifts we’ve been given, whether it’s in teaching, leading, and so forth. But, to capture the essence of the Father in this act of service, it is better practiced in secret and with integrity.
Reread the list. Only this time, after reflecting on each gift, ask yourself the question “What Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Prophecy, Teaching, Leadership, or Service — capturing the essence of the Father — do I carry that can be shared with others using my gifted form (art, literature, mathematical, scientific, otherwise)?”
I’d like to return to the opening scripture, taken from Isaiah.
When we consider ourselves as clay formations, perfectly framed to capture the essence of the Father, hopefully we also see the perfectly framed geometrical-lines and those carefully selected colours that dance outside the lines for the world to see.
We have only ourselves to blame when we lose sight of that brilliance, disconnect from the essence of the creator in ourselves, and instead become captured by the essence of how the world and the principalities of the earth see.
But, when we return to the love of the Father He will set us back on course and remind us that He’s holds sacred and magnetically fastened to His heart all of those precious pieces that were made to capture the essence of His love for us.
With that in mind, I leave you a rough draft of a song I wrote a few years ago about the Father’s love…
💜Paula
The Father’s Love
Chorus
We all need the Father’s love
His perfect gift from above
Comin’ down from Heavenly lights
Who does not change like shifting shadows of the night
Verse
Today I’ll hear His voice
And harden not my heart
May the words of my mouth
In His pleasure, not depart
Pre Chorus
When deception seeks me
Here’s where I’ll be found:
On the rock of His word; my solid ground
Chorus
We all need the Father’s love
His perfect gift from above
Comin’ down from Heavenly lights
Who does not change like shifting shadows of the night
Verse
I’ll let His song sing over me
And rest within my heart
His love abounds abundantly
Given freely from the start
Pre Chorus
When deception seeks me
Here’s where I’ll be found:
On the rock of His word; my solid ground
(Instrumental)
Pre Chorus
When deception seeks me
Here’s where I’ll be found:
On the rock of His word; my solid ground
Chorus
We all need the Father’s love
His perfect gift from above
Comin’ down from Heavenly lights
Who does not change like shifting shadows of the night
©Paula Walker (SoulCorde Music) 2020
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