Take the Picture: 5 Reasons You’ll Treasure It Someday
Take the picture, sweet friend, even if you don’t like how you look. I know that’s not easy to hear. Maybe you’ve stepped out of the frame a hundred times, or said, “Oh, just take one of the kids,” and quietly slipped away. But there’s a gentle truth I want you to carry with you today: years from now, you won’t see the wrinkles or the extra pounds. You’ll see a day you’d give anything to visit again.
Come sit with me for a minute, and let me tell you why.
Take the Picture Even When You Don’t Like What You See
We are so much harder on ourselves than anyone else is. You look in the mirror or at a photo and your eyes go straight to what you wish were different. Your heart, though, sees something else entirely.
The truth is, the way you see yourself today isn’t the way you’ll see yourself later. That photo you’re avoiding will one day be the one you go looking for.
Take the Picture for the People Who Love You
Think about the photos you treasure most. Are you studying the lighting and the angles? Of course not. You’re looking at the faces you love, the hugs, the laughter, and the moments that made your heart full.
The people who love you feel the same way about you. When they look at that picture years from now, they won’t see flaws. They’ll see the woman who showed up, who loved them, and who was really there. You are the gift in that photo.
Take the Picture to Honor the Life You’ve Lived
Those lines around your eyes are proof of every belly laugh, every prayer whispered in the dark, every tear you cried and every joy you celebrated. Your body has carried you through it all.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)
God didn’t make a mistake when He made you, sweet friend. Every season has its own kind of beauty, and this one is worth remembering.
Take the Picture and Let Go of the Hiding
Hiding behind the camera is a way of saying, “I’m not worth remembering,” and that simply isn’t true. You belong in your own story. You belong at the table, on the porch, beside the ones you love, right in the middle of the frame.
So lean in close. Let someone put an arm around you. Smile the real smile, the one that comes when you’re thinking about how much you love the person next to you.
Take the Picture Today, Because Today Is a Gift
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
This ordinary day, with its coffee, its chores, and its people, is one you’ll look back on with a full heart. You just can’t see it yet. So take the picture, and let today be part of the story you get to keep.
Now I’d love to hear from you. Who is someone you’re going to take a picture with this week? Share it in the comments, sweet friend. I read every one. 💜
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With love and faith,
Marilyn 💜