Less than perfect

As I opened Christmas cards received from others this year, I was so thankful for the precious families that had taken the time to think of us during the season. I enjoyed all the notes and updates from those we hadn't seen in quite some time, as well as those who live nearby. I was amazed at many of the photos, showing children who had grown by leaps and bounds from years before. I was also very impressed by how beautiful many of the photos were-some from the portrait studio, others with all in matching outfits. How sweet everyone looked! I cringed, too, as I thought of our Christmas card we sent out the week earlier. No, there wasn't anything terribly wrong with it, it just looked sort of haphazardly thrown together, compared to years before. Well....that's probably because it was. Really, Christmas cards were almost an afterthought this year, I hate to say. As December 25th grew closer, we knew it was now or never. So with everyone in one place, before our oldest went to work, and before little ones napped, we gathered everyone in front of the fireplace and tried to force out some smiles! If you've ever tried to do this with 10 people, it's not easy. We must have taken 25 pictures, most of them with a child looking the wrong way, smiling goofy, or putting their hands in front of their face. In all, I think we got 2 that were semi-presentable. We picked the best one and off they went to the printer! No, no one was in matching outfits-I was just happy they had on clean clothes. No, they weren't even in nice clothes either! Not everyone had a perfect smile-truly, many of them just wanted to get it over with. Geez...the picture was just so....what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, yes-it was just so US! That's it! Even though I loved the thought of a perfect looking picture with a beautiful backdrop-really, that's not who we are. We're a kind of chaotic bunch, with dirty shirts, runny noses, and goofy expressions! So really the card we sent out was a little snapshot of who we really are as a family! After we looked at the picture, hubby and I even joked that we really should have taken a picture with the baby crying, one of our kids chewing with his mouth open, another poking his brother, while another was in the corner causing mischief. Now that really would have been reality! Truly, we are a less than perfect family. That's a very humbling thing. But I am thankful that we serve a Lord who loves us anyway in spite of those shortcomings. By the way, that Christmas picture? Well, here it is. To tell you the truth, I kind of like it!