Pretty As A Picture

Peace family, I recently read a very thought-provoking quote. It said, “If you want to learn what someone fears losing, watch what they photograph.”

We have a lot of real life examples to aid us in finding out where our focus is. You’ve probably heard the Bible verse, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,”(Matthew 6:21)  and it’s also possible that your pastor has challenged you to look at your checkbook or spending record in order to reassess where you devote your money, sometimes without even thinking about it. I’ve also been in church services where they passed out a weekly schedule, and we were challenged to fill it out and see where we devoted our time, and whether there might be wiser ways to spend it. These things are good reminders to make sure that we are making the most of our time on earth.

However, as someone who is very visual (and always taking photographs,) the quote above touched me in a fresh way. Our photographs reflect the ways that we see the world, and what we value to the extent that we want to save it for later. Are you taking time to capture (or at least, notice) the beauty that is all around you? What if you went on a thirty day journey to look for something beautiful and life-giving every day, and take a picture?

Also, we all treasure the photos of our children, and try to take plenty as they grow, but are we taking and treasuring photos of our spouses and other loved ones? And if you happen to be one of those people who doesn’t like having their picture taken, why is that? Are there some ways that you can capture some photographic memories of yourself and your life now, even if it’s not perfect, so that those who love you (such as your children) can look back and treasure them later, or once they are grown? Are all of your pictures digital, or do you have any on actual photo paper, just in case?

I remember the days before digital cameras. I didn’t want to take almost any pictures, because I was afraid of wasting film; every picture I took, had to be perfect. Now, you can take as many pictures as your film can hold, and just delete the bad ones! A caution, though, is not to take so many pictures that you are not “present” in actually making memories. However, I can tell you that my phone is full of happy memories, of gifts I’ve given or received (I really like presents), of growing things in my yard, of friends (who are all beautiful in their own ways!), and of beautiful or impressive places I’ve visited. When I feel blue, sometimes just looking at the memories I’ve made with loved ones, and the great things I’ve gotten to do and see, remind me what a beautiful life God has given me. So don’t miss recording those treasured moments. You never know when they might truly encourage you!