...the messy...
...and the off centered...
...and the goofy and the eyes closed...
....and the get me out of here now...
...and the shadows...
...and the grumpy faces
...and the angry struggle...
...and the fear of where we're at...
....and the windblown....
....and the running away...
So I still can't say that these pictures will make the photo albums. But they do change my perspective. I want to become someone who more readily embraces the struggle and the imperfect. Who finds God in the messy. I am realizing that most of me, when I'm honest, just wants life to work at the way I plan, the easy way, the struggle-free way. But there is this small part of me, the faith part probably, that says no. That realizes that isn't really the way to a full life. That realizes that pain and brokenness and conflict are an essential part of the story. Donald Miller talks about how a good story must involve conflict and struggle. And as much as I don't want that to be true, deep down I know it is true. When faced with the potential for struggle, I want to run or cling to false hope or turn to a vending machine God that will give me exactly what I'm wanting. But that would be no God at all and the story would not be a good one.
*I did finally get a good picture by the way. And owe my husband for enduring the multiple attempts over multiple days in multiple outfits.