The Moment
Imagine the scene. It’s a Saturday morning. Cold, in the dead of winter. Snow is covering the ground, but patches of brown grass are beginning to immerge. The effort is valiant, yet the frozen precipitation can’t help but surrender against the rising temperature and sunlight. For now, there’s still an ample amount of white powder, particularly under thick canopies of trees.
A family has just arrived at the edge of these dense woods, but they are not dressed for the place nor its elements. They look as though they are heading to church, or some other formal gathering, and have found themselves in the wrong place. They are hurried but not frantic. Someone has put intentionality towards this moment. Hair fixed, outfits coordinating, ironed. From a distance it’s clear that the mother is in full command. If you could get close enough, you’d realize every detail is in order. They’ve even had baths and brushed their teeth.
Saturday morning? How bizarre this family appears against the other sparse inhabitants jogging or walking dogs. Their presence seems incongruent.
Look closely and you will see the family blissfully unaware of the incongruence. Their arrival doesn’t appear to be accidental. This family has a purpose. This family is on a mission.
Additional pieces fall into place as another car arrives at the edge of the woods. The driver is alone, and he’s been here before. He’s properly dressed for the conditions. Boots, toboggan, and gloves. Every piece of the outfit is pitch black. He appears as if poised for a crime, but he’s got nothing sinister in mind.
There may be pain inflicted, but only through the lens of a camera. Pain or no pain, heaven forbid any deterrence of a smiling face. It’s family picture day!
Photographs are funny things in my estimation. We work hard to appear natural in an intrinsically unnatural process. This time, my smile was very natural. I enjoyed family picture day. There I said it!
As we captured the moment in photos, it was abundantly clear how blessed I am. The Lord didn’t owe me anything and yet He has surrounded me with a beautiful, tenaciously supportive wife and 3 kids that fill my life with immeasurable gladness. There is something about capturing the moment that can sometimes cause us to miss the moment but that didn’t happen on this day. I reminisced about other family photo moments, and it anchored me in the preciousness of the moment. Time is one of God’s greatest gifts and perhaps the supreme commodity.
In the end, it’s a futile effort to capture the moment. A photograph is about the best we can do as humans. As I looked at my beautiful family something strange happened. I experienced joy even while taking family photos! Not in capturing the moment but in valuing the moment.
As I advance through seasons of life, it is time that has exponentially increased in value. We cannot capture time, but we can certainly value it. There is joy when we do.
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24