Photo Memories

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

When my husband and I were first dating, his mom pulled out their family photo album. Starting when she and my father-in-law wed almost fifty years ago and continuing through the next several decades, there are pictures of their family each year—a documentation and testimony to a rich family heritage. As we chuckled over feathered hairstyles and old-fashioned outfits, themed shirts and outdated perms, I smiled as I glimpsed my husband’s upbringing long before I knew him.

As we started our own family, I realized that I wanted to create the same tradition for our kids. So, every fall we take family photos and put them in an album. My kids aren’t yet full-grown, but we still enjoy pulling out the book and looking at each year. We smile at baby pictures and laugh at outfit choices.

As a parent, I browse through these portraits and am reminded of all the good and hard years. The fall I almost didn’t book a photographer because we were walking through a very challenging season with one of our kids. The year my husband and I struggled to keep our relationship going. Not every memory is a good one. But when I look through the album as a whole, I see how God continues to weave the difficult times with the happier ones. And there is so much good to be found when I look for it.

Jesus reminded us that the thief wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Nowhere else do we see this more prevalently than in our closest relationships. But Jesus also promises that his own purpose is to give us a “rich and satisfying life.” Not a perfect life. Or an easy life. But a satisfying life. And if we’ll take the time to notice, we’ll see all the ways he’s done that—even through the hard seasons (outdated hairstyles and all).

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Think of several ways Jesus has made your life rich and satisfying. Express your thanks to him for the evidence of his purpose in your life.