May. State testing. AP testing. Graduating Senior. Banquets. End of year productions/parties/award ceremonies. Presentations. Plans…. The lists literally go on. These days, I can’t help but wonder where I’m supposed to be and if I’ve forgotten something. Especially things like forms or sign-ups for next year which seem to be in play too.

It’s an exciting time of year. Spring flowers fill gardens and birds are singing (seriously – so beautiful and loud when we raced out the door for school) as time tries to race by and stress tempts to steal our day, our thoughts and joy.

But don’t let it. These things that overwhelm our calendars and threaten to overwhelm people we love who are walking alongside. This stuff, much of which tries to inform our worth, need a blast of perspective. And I think I’ve found just the ticket – a photo stroll down memory lane.

You can take such a stroll any time, anywhere. All you need is your phone. While sitting in carpool line or even with a kid at the doctor’s office (we’ve had the plague in our house), flipping through pics and laughing at fun memories lightens the load and brings into focus what matters: people and seemingly insignificant moments that make memories.

Raking and playing in a pile of leaves, purchased Halloween costumes that are “so not fair” since the older kids had to make theirs, hilarious business ideas (tennis ball puppets we called Lu-Lus), time with cousins, opening a first bank account, a kid who just couldn’t pull his tooth, trampoline fun, racing through the laundromat – really it just goes on and on. How can you stop the smiles?! It’s a blast of fresh air.

Here’s what a photo stroll reminds me:

  • Life is a journey, a melding of moments collected in the bigger picture of what’s important, namely people.
  • We survived – more than survived
  • We were stretched without breaking
  • We grew in the moments that surrounded the pics, many of which were challenging, some severe
  • Friendships endure
  • My outward appearance wasn’t quite as questionable as I thought in the moment
  • It is utterly wasteful to wish away any moments or to let insecurities ruin them, and so much more.

A stroll reminds me to focus on Truth that is often hard to hang on to in hard times. And a stroll reminds me to consider the lenses through which we’re looking. Are we using the world’s lenses filtered by would’s, could’s, should’s, acumen, achievement, numbers (including those written on tags that threaten to inform our worth according to outward appearance) OR Garden-glasses with God-centered, far-sighted, eternal-perspective lenses.

Garden glasses reveal Truth.  God is safe. He is good, holy, just, kind, compassionate, beyond sufficient, always with us and utterly trustworthy, providing perfect provision in each and every day. Because if I look at the dates on my photo stroll, I’ll notice that some were during extremely challenging times. Those pics remind me that smiles and laughter were equally at hand.

Today is a great day – worth fully living and enjoying rather than handing a second of it over to pressures, stress or circumstances.

Thanks for walking the road me.

-Kay


P.S. :) For Dallas gals that have some free time on their hands and are interested in contemplating Scripture together – our Neighborhood Studies that meets on Tuesdays from 9:30 – 11 will be looking at soul-clothes, our royal wardrobe as shown by “ancients” in Hebrews 11.

And the clothes God has for us , like Garden glasses, are out-of-this-world Royal-Wear that fits to perfection, sewn with threads of peace and joy and contentment.

For more information visit neighborhoodstudies.com OR to join, email neighborhoodstudies.com and say “I’m in!”. We will send the 1st week’s lesson and details on location


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