"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
If you think about some of your most treasured earthly possessions, what would they be? Perhaps your list may include a family heirloom, a piece of jewelry from a grandparent, or a special handwritten letter? For me, especially as my children entered into adulthood, my family photos are some of my most treasured earthly possessions. There is a popular saying that states, "A picture is worth a thousand words," and I believe that photographers have an exceptional talent that allows them to capture treasured moments and precious memories for people.
A few years ago, I had a very insightful conversation with a professional photographer and his wife, who served as his assistant. They were commenting how stressful weddings are to photograph because things happen so quickly and there are no "do overs" if you miss a shot. They also commented that they realize the importance of these photos and the duration of generations of people that will be examining these photos, again stressing the importance to do a phenomenal job capturing the happiest day of people's lives, especially when things may not go according to well thought out plans.
To illustrate, they began to tell me the story of one of their brides, who had the photographer and his wife take a few photos of her and her bridesmaids in the church basement as they were waiting to process into the church. For some final last minute shots, the photographer placed himself on the stairs to capture her father and bridesmaids helping her up the steps and into the church narthex. However, as the bride proceeded up the steps, she unknowingly stepped on her dress with her right foot and as she stepped with the alternate foot, the tension of her weight on the fabric caused her dress to rip right up the center of the dress. The photographer said that there were a few seconds where everyone froze in horror as the bride turned to her father in tears. The loving father immediately reassured his daughter that everything would be OK and he would fix the problem; as then raced to his car to retrieve a roll of duct tape from his tool box. As the organ music continued to play, the father was able to temporarily mend the dress, wipe her tears, and walk her down the aisle.
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the church season of Lent. During this period of time as we focus on Jesus' journey to the cross, we are also reminded of how sin has torn and separated us from our Heavenly Father. Just as the once-torn bride's dress was unacceptable, we were torn by sin and made unacceptable in God's sight. But just as the bride's loving father interceded and mended the dress, our loving Heavenly Father mended us through the blood of Jesus. Once mended, the bride could go on with the wedding and begin her new life, and we, now mended by God's work, are able to begin our new lives totally reconciled to Him, acceptable in His sight, and enabled to do His work. We praise God for the gift of His Son and the redemption that we have through Jesus!
Have a great week knowing how much He loves you and that He can fix any problem that you may be facing!
In His love,
Mrs. Palka