Stop and Take the Picture

Have you ever wished you would have taken a picture of something, but hadn’t taken the time to stop and click?

Photographers tell us that half the success of a good picture is spotting something worth shooting. And a good bit of the rest is the composition and lighting.  But these are irrelevant if you don’t stop to capture it.

We’ve been road traveling a lot since we’ve retired. Early in our travels, a seasoned fellow RVer told my husband to go at a pace that allows stopping to take pictures.  So that was the deal we made.  I, the hesitant road tripper, would be a happy camper if we didn’t cram too many miles into each day. And we must stop when I yell ‘pull over’ to catch something that demanded photography. He’s gotten fantastic U-turning the RV. We’ve collected spectacular landscapes, sunsets, churches, flowers, and the world’s largest ball of string.

Taking time to click pictures of people is even more important. (please, not strangers…. that’s creepy!) Now we have these awesome little phones glued to our hand. That makes it inexcusable to miss the impromptu moments of our kids and pets and family and friends.

Here are a few practical suggestions to help you stop and preserve more memories:

1)      Become your grandparents, who always say “let me get your picture before you leave” of anyone who came to visit. You never know if that might be your last picture together and it could become a treasured combination of pixels.

2)      Take more pictures of the people closest to you doing every day things.  You don’t have to post it. But take it. Somebody’s going to appreciate having it later.

3)      Be the one who gathers everyone around for the mass selfie shot at a party or family gathering or work event.  Go order an extended selfie stick right now.

The time you spend to stop and take the pictures will yield memories later.  We don’t remember whole days, but we remember moments. And pictures make those moments return again and again, so we won’t forget.

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, recorded a time when God saved a visual reminder. Zion was afraid God had forgotten them. But God gave them strong reassurance when He said “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” [Is 49:16, ESV]

We may preserve our pictures in books or store backup photos in the cloud, or frame them on our wall to remind us of special times and dear people. But we have a Father in heaven who has gone a step further.  He has tattooed our picture on His palm. I can imagine that He glanced at His palm today and thought of you! He may have remembered when He first formed you. He may have remembered when you first fell in love with Him. He may have remembered when you placed all of your past moments at His feet and entrusted your future moments into His big hands. He stopped and took all those pictures of you. He remembers.