Say Cheese!

Well, we've finally gone and done it - family pictures. In the past I've felt too overwhelmed by the task of getting everyone in for pictures, looking nice and smiling well, and having it turn out nice enough for the cost involved. Being pregnant different times through the years I honestly didn't want to have a family pictures without the newest member present. So now, forced into family pictures by our new pictorial Church directory, we've actually made it happen and it was a great thing for us. We were all coordinated in our cute clothes and the kids were well bribed with a promise of ice cream cones if they had a good session.

We made it through the family portion of the pictures and then the photographer had the kids sit to the side and had Andrew and I sit together for a couple picture. This was unexpected, but how nice, we haven't done that for years either. But, it was then that things began to break down. He had us move to sit in this odd straddle pose, legs all entwined and hugging and tipping our heads just so. It nicely arranged our upper bodies for a close up but had me feeling like we were in a little too intimate position for the public display.

I made it through the first couple of pictures but then he had to go and say, "Now look into each others eyes." That did it. I was a giggle bucket. We haven't just sat that close and looked into each others eyes for quite some time, let alone doing so in public with our three little kids and some stranger with a camera looking on. From there it just got worse. I was laughing so hard I was crying and trying to compose myself to look like a doting wife for this silly picture. Now, this might seem like enough pressure for one photo session but noooo he's got to up the ante. "Ok," he said, "Now give her a big kiss." Are you kidding me? Right here in public? Our last public kiss was July 6th, 2006 on our wedding day.

What is so strange is that I am very comfortable with public forums, like speaking for example or playing sports. Andrew, on the other hand, prefers to operate more behind the scenes. So why was it so easy for him to follow a complete strangers direction and lay one on me in public? Also, had it been my suggestion, I'm sure he would have had more hesitation, if it would have happened at all. Weird! So there we were, all intimately entwined in public as directed by some stranger, and that stranger was there to capture it all on film. I didn't order the kissing picture but the other one was actually really cute. At least it's over with and we've finally got a family picture or we will in 3-6 weeks.

On another note, to follow up on the marriage break downs that are happening around me, my Proverbs 31 daily devotion by Lysa Terkurst came today with the same focus:

Chasing love outside the will of God invites the exact opposite of love
into our lives. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 is picture of God's perfect love. It
is
patient. It is kind. It does not envy... it is not self-seeking... it
does not
delight in evil but rejoices with the truth... it always
protects... it always
perseveres. Love never fails. The things we
chase in this world are
opposite from God's love. False attempts at love
will make us impatient, unkind,
envious, self-seeking, resistant to the
truth, reckless and temporary.1
Corinthians 13 is not a description of what
is inherently ours when we fall in
love with another person. It is a
description of God's love. This kind of love
can be ours as we become more
Christ-like. It is never focused inwardly. It is
never about what I'm going
to get from another person. It is deciding that this
is the kind of love I
will give away. I am challenged by this. Because our souls
were designed for
God's fulfilling love, if we aren't staying closely connected
to Him
everyday, our hearts will start to feel empty. Restless. Unfulfilled. Let
us
never get to the place where we think we are strong enough to not be tempted
in this way. If we are all completely honest, we are only a few bad
decisions
away from the same kind of mess my sweet friend is now trying to
untangle
herself from. While I have complete hope in God's ability to
restore her, the
consequences of her chase for love will be severe on many
levels. The kind of
love our souls crave will never be found in the things
of this world. Lasting
and perfectly satisfying love will only be found when
we stop chasing the wrong
kind of love and start living out the truths of
God.

Dear Lord, help me rest in the security of Your love.
Make me
wise in how I guard my heart. May I never get lured into any
kind of
worldly, fake love. But if I ever start to get drawn away, God
surround me
with people who are bold enough to speak truth into my life. In
Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Yes Lord!!