Come and Partake

Submitted to the 2021 Book of Mormon Central Art Contest.

This piece was inspired by the scripture 2 Nephi 26:33, “[The Lord] … inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”

The Tree of Life in Lehi’s dream is a symbol of the love of God. The fruit was the “Most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”1 Nephi 15:36.

I interpret the love of God as charity. Charity is the pure love of Christ. Christ sacrificed for all of us and asks us to come to Him. We have to make the choice though, to eat the fruit or not. His love will bring ultimate joy. He will not force us to partake but will only beckon us. He is always ready for us to come partake of His love no matter who we are, where we live, the color of our skin, or what we have done. His love is unconditional and never failing. You are invited to come and partake.

The artist grew up in a small Idaho town. She attended BYU-Idaho, married her husband, and in 2018 graduated with her BFA in Painting. She is now a stay-at-home mom who squeezes in time to paint occasionally.