Say Cheese!

Have you ever been in a group photo? Of course you have. Maybe it was for a team you played on, or a class photo from elementary school, or summer camp, but you've definitely been in one. The thing I love about group photos is that they capture a moment in time that will never come again. Surprisingly, that is also what I don't like about them. Group photos are bittersweet. They let us remember a past event with gladness, but they also make us sad as we begin to realize how much we miss those in the picture we no longer see anymore. In some cases, those in the pictures with us have passed away, leaving that photo as one of the only things of them that remain. This is a depressing thought for some of us, but not for all of us. Let me explain.

I recently had the privilege of taking a group photo with some friends of mine who have also dedicated their lives to serve The Lord here in Central Europe. As I looked at it on everyone's favorite social networking site, I realized that that particular group of people may never be in the same room again. I wanted to feel sad about this, but I was struck with the beautiful realization that most Christians take for granted on occasion: We will all be in the same room again someday.

For Christians, we have the peace of knowing that the end is never really the end. We have the hope of heaven and the peace of knowing that God will bring us all together again one day, either here on earth for some special calling, or in eternity when we celebrate the marvelous victory of Christ over sin and death.

So now when I look at myself in this group photo, I remember the hope I have in Christ and the peace that it brings. I don't deserve it, but He gave it anyway.

That is definitely something worth remembering.


Spiritual Renewal Retreat, January 2014