What family photos have taught me...

My parents came for Easter, which made the holiday so much more joy-filled, special, and relaxing! It was also a gift to have them here to help us take a family photo...

I've learned it's truly laughable to attempt a family photo with four children and expect it to turn out "perfect."

As a perfectionist, it drives me a little crazy when at least one person in the photo is blinking, not smiling, holding a toy, looking away, or having a hand on their forehead for example...

I'm slowly learning to not expect perfection and to accept with a smile the imperfect messes in my life, to laugh at the family photos that might not be perfect but capture the joyful chaos of real family life. After all, outward perfection is what the Pharisees sought, but Jesus showed us that perfection of the soul is what we should be seeking. Soul perfection is what Easter is really about... Jesus made the perfect sacrifice on the cross to save us from our inner imperfection. I can now be assured of perfect happiness in heaven someday, which helps me to accept the imperfections of this world with a smile (most of the time...I'll probably always be a recovering perfectionist!) :) This year's family Easter photo helped me realized that I can't make all my kids smile perfectly for the camera, nor can I force them not to accidentally blink. A perfect family photo (when it happens, which is rare), is simply a gift. And so is our salvation. And Nathanael and I think that's worth a BIG smile! :)