Not The 1000 Words You Expected

A picture is worth 1,000 words.
 
What does our most recent family picture say to you?  I could almost guarantee that what you come up with would not be 100% accurate.  Although the picture speaks, I’m not sure it tells the whole truth.
 
When I look at the picture I see a beautiful family.  Together.  Facing the future bravely.  Taking a stand together. 
 
I don’t see myself waking everyone up super early to go see the sunrise.  I don’t see that I hadn’t done my makeup or had my coffee. 
 
I don’t see that Josiah was crying and trying like crazy to run to the refuge of his Abuelita’s arms.  I don’t see that he was screaming “No!  I don’t want take picture!”  I don’t see how tightly I’ve got a hold of his hand to keep him from taking off running.  I don’t see his blanket getting wet from being dragged through the puddles of salty water on the rocks. 
I don’t see that I had told Samuel to wear the same shirt as he had the day before even though it was dirty.  (I wanted us all to semi-match)  By the way I wore a dirty sweater for the same reason.
 
I can’t see that Matthew was hungry and hadn’t had his breakfast or chocolate milk.  Or that Caleb has been teething and super fussy.
 
I can’t see my annoyance with the clouds and lack of color in the sunrise.  Or my mental battle to be glad I had woken everyone up to experience this new morning together, instead of being irritated that my boys were whining. 
 
When I look at the picture I see the whole story.  Why?  Because I know the whole story.  Because I lived it.  I was there.  Because it is mine.  And regardless of how many words I write.  And regardless of how many words of mine you may read.  You’ll never see the picture quite the way I do.
 
In the picture I see beauty.  I see wholeness.  I see love.  I see unity.  I see decision.  I see respect.  I see a God vision.  I see dedication and loving sacrifice.
 
And all that I see in the picture is also in us, but there’s so much the picture doesn’t show.  It’s the same when people see us.  What do they see?  How much are we willing to show?  Can we be real?  Will we continue to keep up the facade?  Can we take the masks off now?  Can we turn our early morning, dark circle eyed, makeup free faces toward the camera? 
 
God has shown himself to us that way.  Transparent.  True.  He’s given us His Spirit to live in us.  To teach us.  To transform us into His image. 
 
Can we show the world who we really are?  Where we’ve been and where He’s brought us?  The weakness He’s turned into strength?  I’ll ask again. 
 
Can we be real?

 
Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself?  The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it.  God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.  We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions.  We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
 
1 Corinthians 2:11-13