I was looking through my pictures the other day and I noticed how many I have of my youngest granddaughter Haley where she is reaching up to take the camera from my hands. Picture after picture, month after month there she is reaching up grabbing at the camera interrupting my “Norman Rockwell” moment. She is still cute in those blurry photos but she just doesn’t understand what is going on.  I kept some of the pictures but there have been dozens that I have deleted. As she has grown and matured and spent more time with me, she has become a lot better at working with me and understanding what I am trying to do. Finally I have some pictures where she is not grabbing at the camera!

The whole situation serves to remind me that there have been times when God has wanted to do something specific in my life and I have just not understood what was going on. As the Bible says in Isaiah 55:9 “His ways are not our ways” and in my ignorance and disobedience I have often tried to wrestle control from His hands. The result has never been a pretty picture or a “Norman Rockwell” moment. I have been so blessed by God’s mercy and compassion and the fact that God is able to redeem those moments and put them in the Romans 8:28 photo album. In that verse Paul reminds us “that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

God, in His sovereignty, in His mercy, and in His grace is still able take those times where we have undermined His authority and disregarded His will and redeem those situations. God can cause even those moments that make for some unpleasant pictures to ultimately work together for good and for His glory. As we spend more time with Him, in His word, in prayer and in worship God can help us to learn from those situations and bring about spiritual growth in us. There can be fewer “bad picture” moments in our lives, fewer snapshots that we would choose to delete if we let God freely work His will in our lives.

I pray that you will let the Lord shine His light in your life this week. I pray that you will leave control in His hands and let Him pose you and prepare you for some pretty pictures and some great memories. Until next time, stay strong in the faith.