Gò0dNews for Life
49 Pictures
H
by Kristen West
ow do you consolidate a person’s life into a mere
There was a story attached to every photograph. It was
49 pictures? That’s the question I was asking
painfully difficult trying to whittle down hundreds of
myself a year ago after my mother passed from
images to just a few that best portrayed her life.
this life into eternity.
In the end, we wound up with 49 pictures that we felt
My dad, brother, and I had flipped through an
best summed up my mom. But in reality, she was so much
assortment of old photo albums in an effort to find the
more than those images could aptly convey. Aren’t we all?
perfect pictures that told the story of my mother’s seventy-
How can any of us feasibly condense our lives or anyone
five years’ worth of life that
else’s into a few photographic prints?
could be used in
Obviously, we can’t.
a video montage
From birth to death,
for her funeral.
the breadth and depth
We spent hours
of our lives are walked
looking at images
out in the accumulated
of my mom as
seconds and minutes
a young child, a
that make up the time we
graduate, a bride,
have been gifted on this
a new mom, a
earth. Ephesians 5:16
teacher, a quilter,
exhorts us to, “…make
and a grandmother—
the most of our time…”
to name just a few.
Pictures can only
“There is an occasion
capture moments.
for everything, and a time
They’re not
for every activity under
comprehensive of
heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,
one’s life. Only God holds that ability—
HCSB). That verse had never been as
the ability to see our lives from beginning to end—and He
meaningful to me until I sat there surrounded by hundreds
encourages us to make the most of it.
of pictures that testified to this Biblical truth. “…a time to give birth and a time to die…a time to weep
Robin Williams’ character John Keating in the classic film Dead Poet’s Society spoke to the very heart of this
and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a
when he said, “Carpe diem! Seize the day…make your
time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing…a time to
lives extraordinary!”
tear and a time to sew; a time to love and a time to hate; a
How will you make your life extraordinary today?
time for war and a time for peace.” (vs. 2-8). Each smile, event or activity had been meaningful to her.
22 // February 2022
About The Author
Each picture revealed a “time to” moment in her life.
Kristen West works at Rock Bridge Community Church with a heart for staff leadership, development, and care. She is a communicator with a passion to inspire, encourage, and challenge others in their daily walk with Christ. She writes and publishes weekly content on her blog at kristen-west.com.
