“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29
While walking through the main hallway from our bedroom to the living room, I noticed a picture upside down on the floor. A small spark of horror shot through me. It seems strange to say that… and just as strange to write. But I have DOZENS of pictures and portraits of my kids hanging on that Hall of Fame! ONE of them had dropped to the floor! I felt like I feel when I see a U.S. Flag touch the ground! UNACCEPTABLE!
Photographic memories are cherished honors to me. When I take the time to look back and remember, I have a better picture of my life than when the picture was actually taken. See those pictures of my kid’s receiving their college diplomas? I REMEMBER how HARD it was to get there… and I am reminded how much HARDER it was to get through! But the triumphant smile on the picture says… DONE!
Those pictures of weddings with everyone dressed in their best, all smiling, tell a story of expansion, as our family has increased over the years BY CHOICE! Each picture in sequence, with little one’s included, count off the blessed increase! Now ONE was on the floor…NOT ACCEPTABLE! I picked up the picture and looked… it brought back a flood of precious memories. As I put it back in its place, I realized that the restoration had an immediate affect on my heart as well. I was reminded that I am a VERY blessed man!
Being ‘Born Again’ into God’s family can be like a photo. The evidence of the moment is there…but I don’t clearly remember it. Looking back on my life, He has grown me up into a MUCH different person than I would have been without Him. Old struggles and trials, now over, serve as victorious snapshots as He was shaping me into the person I have become. What USED to hold fear and uncertainty has become laughing milestones… photos that prompt the question, “remember when?”
Children do not choose to be born. That is the decision of the parents… even if made in ignorance! But Parenting is the most serious business on the planet and my Heavenly Father takes it quite seriously! I was NOT an accident and my Father has an EXACT PURPOSE in my upbringing. He is ALWAYS working to mold me into a carbon copy of His son Jesus Christ… THE Perfect Picture!
There may be times I fall and feel UNACCEPTABLE!… like I deserve to be in the ‘Hall of Shame!’ But MY Father will NEVER allow me to hang there. Because His Son chose to hang on a Cross, I will forever hang on His wall! Take a look… See that smile? It is there because I could NOT be ANY more grateful!
