Recently, with the help of family, friends and loved ones, we celebrated the wedding of one of my daughters. Hard to believe, but yes, my little girl is a married woman and I now have a son-in-law! My daughter made a stunningly beautiful bride. My other two daughters served as her “Maids of Honor” and my son was a groomsman and they were looking pretty spiffy as well. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception held at the charming Ironstone Ranch. They were wed, then we ate, we danced and thoroughly enjoyed the day! All of us did. It was a very special and memorable day.
However, that night and the next day, I was plagued with thoughts about the photographer and all the pictures he did NOT get! Why hadn’t I thought of these special shots before? You know-while we were there! It’s all I could think about! Gone were the happy, carefree memories we created that day. My thoughts were dominated by what was missing! Has that ever happened to you? Maybe you had a special birthday or graduation party and all you can think about were the people not there for one reason or another?
I had to force myself not to dwell on those missing photos as it was going to be another three to four weeks until we even got to see them and finally, the photographer sent the link to the pictures and sure enough, my focus was centered on the ones that
weren’t there! I was so busy missing them that I failed to see the beauty in the ones that were there! I made myself go back through them again, this time to see what he did capture. I saw my daughter before the wedding, looking like a model for “Brides” magazine and the pictures of her husband-to-be and the groomsmen dressed to the nines, the flower girl and ring-bearer (my niece and nephew) cute as cute could be. Realizing the beauty in those pictures helped me to focus on what was there and stop dwelling so much on what was missing.
There will always be those times when we are missing someone or something, that is undeniable; but do we let what’s missing blind us to the beauty and the blessings right in front of us? Do we let the missing cause us to miss the moment to treasure? I almost did! I almost let the missing photos steal the precious memories we made that day.
Like the two guys walking on the road to Emmaus. They were so busy missing Jesus after he was crucified that when the resurrected Jesus appeared to them on the road, they did not recognize Him! They did not see what was right before their eyes. They felt a burning in their hearts, telling them the treasure was right there in front of them but it wasn’t until He broke bread with them then departed from them that they fully realized it was Jesus. (Luke 24: 13-33)
The moments to treasure, the blessings, they are right there before us. They are there in the moments that may not have been captured in a photo. They are there in those who are with us. So don’t let what’s missing steal those moments to treasure from you! Recognize them before they disappear.
“When he (Jesus) was at the table with them, he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning with in us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:30-32
Moments To Treasure 