The Father's Love...

Here is the verse that inspired the story I posted a few weeks ago...

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:10

Happy Easter!

A story...

My little sister was inspired this week to initiate a short story contest in our house :) This is my contribution.

Bella's Father

Once there was a little girl named Bella. She lived in a cottage with her mother, father and brother, Emilio. Her family had a farm with a garden, a field, a donkey, a cow, two dogs and a fat cat named Bernard. Bella’s father loved her very much. He did many things for her. When she was sick or sad or lonely he comforted her. He made sure she had clothes to wear and food to eat and he always kept her safe. When Bella did bad things he forgave her and gently corrected her. But Bella was a silly little girl and she didn't realize how much her father loved her.

One day she thought to herself, “I must make my father love me more.” So She decided to help around the cottage more. She got up early the next morning to sweep the entire house. She carried the big heavy rugs outside and shook them out. It was hard and all the dirt didn’t quite come out. Her arms were very sore the next morning when she woke up early to water the garden. The buckets were heavy and her feet got very wet. “But I must make father love me more.” she thought.

Every morning she got up early to do some kind of work. Bella’s father and mother thanked her but still she felt she had to do something more. So she decided to be perfectly nice to everyone. She tried to do exactly as her mother told her and didn't yell at Emilio. But sometimes she failed. After all it made her so mad when he pulled Bernard’s tail.

No matter how nice she was though, it didn't seem to change anything. As a final attempt Bella decided to make her father’s favorite cake while her mother was in the garden. But she had never done it alone before. The kitchen was quite a mess by the time the batter was in the pan. She sighed with relief after putting it in the oven. After doing her best to clean up she though she would to pick some wildflowers to give her father. However as she walked down the road, she went further then she thought she had and suddenly the sun was beginning to go down. Bella ran for home. As she came to the door of the cottage she could smell something burning. Upon entering the house she was met by her mother and a very burnt cake. Bella’s heart fell to her shoes. “Oh no, I've ruined everything,” She thought “father mustn't know what I've done.”

So she turned and ran. When she couldn't run anymore she climbed a tree and began to cry. How could she ever face him? She made so many mistakes. How could he ever love her?

After what felt like hours she heard someone on the road. But because it was growing dark she couldn’t see that it was her father until he was beside her. He reached up his hands and said “Come down my love; lets go home.”

Bella was confused. “You still want me?”

Her father smiled, still holding out his arms, he said “Oh yes.”

She reached out her arms and fell into His. She wanted to ask but was afraid to. Finally when her father had carried her home she got the courage “Do you still love me?” Her father squeezed her tight and said “oh yes.”

As he carried her the last couple steps to the house he said “There is nothing you could do to make me love you more.”

And Bella suddenly knew he didn’t love her because of all she could do, because she did things right or even did things for him. He loved her because she was his. And she loved him too.

The End