frozen picture
Animated Me
FROZEN PICTURE It is seemingly difficult to rest in God when life keeps us scrambling from one demand or crisis to the next. Yet those are the very times when we are most in need of depending utterly on him. Indeed, He will always make a way. Sometimes God gives us “frozen pictures” of happy times to replace dark thoughts or unhappy memories of loved ones we have lost to death or to alienation. Dwelling on troubling images only makes the heartache worse, and it can take our eyes off the Lord. Learning to focus in a positive way on the good things we have shared in the past with this loved one will help us get our eyes back on the blessings instead of the burdens. After our loving 56 year-old father suffered in the hospital for almost two months, survived from gall bladder operation but died of stroke a year ago, his body was sent back to us wrapped with his own blanket. I admit it was really hard to accept because it was beyond our expectations. But I don’t like to think of him that way. Instead, I like to dwell on a frozen picture of him with me during happy moments- the day we marched when I graduated in elementary, to high school and even college. I even had a video of him on my phone last Christmas of 2011 when he was dancing and laughing with my youngest son and the moment we surprised him to blow the candle on his birthday cake last April 15. These are the pictures I bring to mind when I think of my father: he is laughing with his head thrown back, surrounded by mom and his grandchildren. Whenever we think of loved ones we have lost, let’s choose a happy memory and freeze that picture. Then each time we think of or pray for them, instead of a fearful or heart-breaking image we will have a happy, bubbly, shining picture to fill our mind with joy and hope. Lord, I want to choose a lovely picture for that place in my heart where I am aching over a loved one. Let this be what I see when I pray for this one whom you love, too.
Sender:
FROZEN PICTURE It is seemingly difficult to rest in God when life keeps us scrambling from one demand or crisis to the next. Yet those are the very times when we are most in need of depending utterly on him. Indeed, He will always make a way. Sometimes God gives us “frozen pictures” of happy times to replace dark thoughts or unhappy memories of loved ones we have lost to death or to alienation. Dwelling on troubling images only makes the heartache worse, and it can take our eyes off the Lord. Learning to focus in a positive way on the good things we have shared in the past with this loved one will help us get our eyes back on the blessings instead of the burdens. After our loving 56 year-old father suffered in the hospital for almost two months, survived from gall bladder operation but died of stroke a year ago, his body was sent back to us wrapped with his own blanket. I admit it was really hard to accept because it was beyond our expectations. But I don’t like to think of him that way. Instead, I like to dwell on a frozen picture of him with me during happy moments- the day we marched when I graduated in elementary, to high school and even college. I even had a video of him on my phone last Christmas of 2011 when he was dancing and laughing with my youngest son and the moment we surprised him to blow the candle on his birthday cake last April 15. These are the pictures I bring to mind when I think of my father: he is laughing with his head thrown back, surrounded by mom and his grandchildren. Whenever we think of loved ones we have lost, let’s choose a happy memory and freeze that picture. Then each time we think of or pray for them, instead of a fearful or heart-breaking image we will have a happy, bubbly, shining picture to fill our mind with joy and hope. Lord, I want to choose a lovely picture for that place in my heart where I am aching over a loved one. Let this be what I see when I pray for this one whom you love, too.
Sender: