Snapshots

I have a collection of negatives of photos from my mother's childhood. This one is my mom, her brother and my grandmother. I look through these negatives and have had some developed and love looking at them. I love to study them and imagine what they were thinking. Imagine what their lives were like then. Since I wasn't there I can only fill in the blanks as I listen to stories and attempt to put the whole story together. There are favorite stories that are told over and over. I have favorites like why all the Christmas photos are taken on the front porch complete with the Christmas tree having been dragged onto the porch with all the gifts...no flash on the camera. Another favorite is why in the world my mother and uncle would spend hours in the cow trough braving yellow jackets and thirsty cows...just to stay cool in the brutal summer months of Texas. Even with all the family stories and photos, I still only have a part of the story.
This Christmas I'm listening intently to the stories of Christ and wonder again...what don't we know? When I read scripture and study what it could mean for my life I keep in mind that I only have a snapshot of the whole picture. I can't possibly walk around saying that I know everything God's intends while I only have a little bit of it in front me. It's natural for me to look at the negatives in my collection and try to fill in with own thoughts. But they are only guesses. It's the same with scripture...we cannot put our own words and beliefs into the story just because it sounds nice. I would even go so far as to say that there are many of us who look at those moments in time and make them into something they are not. In the photo above it looks like a nice moment of a happy mom with her two children just standing in the yard. But what about grandma's thoughts. Is she thinking about the fence that still needs to be mended or about the watermelon crop that didn't make?
My revelation today is that I must not always take scripture at face value. We must allow for possibilities that are bigger than our brains as we study scripture learn what they mean for us individually.

What are you waiting for?

Just now I realized I had been sitting at my desk without one single stretch for 2 and a half hours and decided to get up for some coffee and a little break. I walked into the sanctuary just to think a bit and was glad to see the lights were off...well I thought they were off. As I passed through the doors I saw that the Christmas trees and the garland hanging from the balconey were lit. I was immediate drawn in and walked over to admire one of the trees. At first I stood back to see the whole tree. Then I walked closer too se the stiching on the ornaments. Then for no reason at all I put my face right next to the tree. Actually, I put my face IN the tree. The only thing in my vision was light, garland and symbols of Christ. I was immediately immersed in the hope and forward looking that the Advent season brings. We wait. We prepare. We imagine the peace that the love of Christ brings. We are many times distracted during this season as we prepare for guests, buy gifts for those we love and work in a frenzy to get everything done "on time". Take a moment to stick your face into something that blocks all that out. Take a moment to think of what you're waiting for means to you.