Picture Perfect

It was time for a change. The photos we had used for the web and speaking engagements were at least seven or eight years old. Things change in that time...WE had changed in that time! And so the appointment was made with a reputable photographer and Linda Sweeney, Eleanor Lewis and I showed up at ten o’clock last Wednesday morning to have new updated photos taken.

I suppose when one is twelve one doesn’t mind having their picture taken. I have noticed this with our grandchildren. “Say cheese”, and the smiles and poses come quickly. Not so with my adult children. There is the usual “Not another one, Mom”, and the complaint about having a bad hair day or no makeup or just not wanting to take the time to stand still. But at the root of this complaint is that we do not like to see who we really are.

Untouched photos tell us the truth. The eye that droops slightly, the hair that is a bit unruly, the chin that sags, and the nose that is more pointed than we wish, all work against us. We have in our minds how we think we look and it is far more favorable than reality. Mirrors tell the truth but time in front of them is brief. (Actually I find if I keep my glasses off when I look in the mirror the reflection is not half bad.) But photos…well that is a different story.

And so we fixed our hair, applied makeup, sat still, changed positions, and obeyed the photographer’s every instruction. In the end there were about thirty shots of each one of us, that is about 90 shots total from which we had to choose. In years pass the photos would have taken a week for us to see. We would have had time to forget much of the experience and be able to think more clearly. But now that we are in the digital age, the pictures are ready immediately. So, the three of us sat together judging each shot. When Eleanor’s were shown on the light board she was far more critical of hers, finding faults that Linda and I would have never picked up on, but when it was our turn we each responded in the same way. Which proves my point. We do not like to see ourselves as we really are.

Now here is the truth about God. He sees me as I really am. I can hide my judgmental spirit from myself, not taking the time to look carefully at my attitude. When I harbor resentment or envy or an unforgiving heart God sees it all though I may wish to cover it up. God’s photo of me (and you) is untouched, exactly as it really is. But here is the good news. Because of the work of Christ, the photo today will not be the last and permanent one. For the day will come when you and I will be changed. And when that day comes, those of us who love and follow Jesus Christ will have one last picture taken and it will be perfect.

1 Corinthians 15:51 and 53

Behold I tell you a mystery…we shall all be changed…for this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.