And yet, and yet…

This time of year is notable in the Gillum family as the time when we take family photos. As wonderful as family photos are, my main experience of trying to take family photos is a waking nightmare. Dealing with wanderers, boogers, tears, M&Ms and the chocolate stains thereof, wearing particularly uncomfortable sweaters when it’s 80 degrees outside, it’s a real treat.

I do love looking at the end product, but I think what we often miss is the path we take to get there. My favorite family photos are the candid ones when we’re trying to get everybody to play along and do what they’re supposed to. I like the photos that serve as a window into the storm of family life and the ways we fight to survive in the midst of circumstances and preferences. I think those kinds of candid shots like the one above of me and my bride trying to take a nice photo in subfreezing rain at Lake Louise in Alberta show a pretty rich story of personality.

What do I see in the photo before the photos? I see commitment, I see laughter, I see intention, I see personality, I see energy, I see creativity. I see the work it takes to build and sculpt a family, and the ways God brings us together.

I see the beauty in the before, the grace in the grit.

In our lives, we sometimes can yearn for the perfect moments and the airbrushed uniformity. And yet, if we take a moment to pause and enjoy the sparking chaos of the moments before the family photo, we see a glance of eternity. We see that people that Jesus saves, the people that are growing in each of our paces toward maturity in him.

So be nice to mamas around the holidays and take the photo. And cherish these moments of chaos and what they will be for us on future roads.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Corinthians 4:7