My den is covered in pictures, all framed in black, pictures of my childhood, my husband and me, my children, my husband’s children, our grandchildren, weddings…
My daughter says, “It’s a bit much, Mom.”
My son teases me, “You’ve gotta stop, Mom. It’s like an addiction.”
My best friend echoes, “I like it… if you do.”
I smile, oblivious to their comments, for the pictures remind me of life – beginnings and endings; good times and bad; courage and fear; uncertainty and commitment. The pictures represent God’s hand in every stage of my life; paths I took; decisions I’ve made; events I have survived; valleys and mountains; storms and sunny days. The pictures speak God’s Word. The pictures speak God’s promises: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I’ve learned it isn’t the number of failures or successes; the number of hits and misses; the number of faults and justifications; wins and losses – life is all about pushing through, overcoming, persevering, getting back up when everyone else thinks you’re down for the count.
It isn’t so much about the life you’ve been given but more about what you are willing to give your life. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has made everything beautiful “for its own time.”
The pictures on the walls of my den remind me of just that. Some of the people on my wall are no longer in my life, but when they were, it was beautiful. Some of the people on my wall no longer have a relationship with me, but they helped make me who I am. Some of the people on my wall are very present in my life and for that I am grateful.
Today, thank God for the people in your life who have impacted the person you are today. Thank Him for those who have hurt you and those who have helped you. Praise Him for the people He has given you to love. Celebrate life right where you are and with the people around you.
