Deborah Switzer: Scrapbooking Adventures

I recently went to my very first scrapbooking party. Filled with ignorance and intimidation, I timidly went to the craft store to figure out what supplies I needed in this new endeavor. I picked up a tiny accordion scrapbook (better to start small!) and a couple of packets of stickers. Then I fled home and gathered up some of my seven-year old daughter’s crafts supplies … construction paper, stickers, glue, etc. I glanced at the clock, and realized I was already supposed to be there, but I hadn’t done the most important thing. I did not yet have any of my pictures for a scrapbooking party. What a novice!

Hurriedly, I went to my printer. I searched for the photo paper that I was sure we already owned, only to find it MIA. (Lots of things go MIA when you have three children.) I resorted to printing the pictures on regular paper. I clicked “send” only to see that the pictures came out extremely dark, and I couldn’t even see the faces of the people. Tick, tock, the minutes are flying by and I am feeling the pressure of being late. I desperately holler up to my husband, who shows me how to auto-correct the color of all my pictures. I spend about five minutes hitting buttons, and then with some quickly shot up prayers for the miraculous, I hit print again. Success! The pictures are clear and I can see the faces, even if they are printed on copy paper. So, I gather up my bundles of photos (uncut on the paper) and my craft supplies, and head out the door to the party.

As a “virgin scrapbooker” I really had no idea what to expect. I walked in to greet my new friends whose personalities came shining through. Some of them were laid back and jovially slapping pictures in the books, and some of them were wonderfully meticulous, debating over colors, borders and placement. And I, the novice, moved around all of the interesting gadgets, papers, and photos in awe of the amount of detail that women will go through to document the history of their families. I timidly revealed that I didn’t even bring real photos with me, I didn’t have any cardstock for matting, and I didn’t even bring a gluestick! They all graciously lent me materials to properly document, and “showed me the ropes” of how to set out on my first scrapbooking adventure.

I spent about two hours at the party, documenting a camping trip my husband and I took with the kids. I was probably a middle of the road scrapbooker … somewhere between slapping in the pictures and artistically displaying creative memories. I only got half-way through my accordion book before I had to leave. I thanked my host for a wonderful time, delicious veggie pizza, and incredibly patient instruction, and then headed back home.

Driving home, I was filled with accomplishment. I was amazingly proud of the few pages I had put together. I found I had thoroughly enjoyed taking the time to create those few pages and relive the memories of my precious family. I bounded back into my house and immediately showed my masterpiece to my husband, who praised the pages, and then fell asleep for a nap. The kids were playing outside, and I found myself continually looking at the pages I had created. Soon, I was unable to concentrate on anything else. I loved the memories I created, and I felt this intense desire to complete my book.

In a matter of two hours (the duration of my husband’s nap), I sat down without the benefit of any of the special tools to which I had access at the party, and I completed my scrapbook. I just couldn’t leave it unfinished … I wanted it to be complete. I was so enjoying perusing the pictures and reliving the silly and happy memories, that I was motivated to finish. Overlaying pictures here, adding a border there, snipping edges there. Some pages were more meticulous than others, some photos were cut down more than others. Some pages had lots of shapes and movement and others were simple straight forward photos. I wrote on some pages, and on others I let the pictures speak for themselves. And upon the completion of my book, I again had a great sense of accomplishment and pride. Even more than that, I relished all the memories of my family, doting over my children with a sincere love that only a parent can muster.

So as I found myself perusing through the scrapbook yet again this morning, the Lord spoke deeply to my heart. For just as I love to look through these pages again and again -- reliving memories, feeling pride in my creation, and mostly cherishing moments with my husband and children -- so also He enjoys each page He has “scrapbooked” of my life. Every page brings Him delight and an overwhelming love for me. And in His own, unique way, God has shown me that the scrapbooking process is just another beautiful analogy of His parental relationship with His children.

When God Scrapbooks …

The purpose of a scrapbook is to remember. And when we scrapbook, we get to choose our memories. One of the most overwhelming aspects of scrapbooking is looking through years of photos and choosing which ones we will use. In general, we pick the good times and the big events. We have a tendency to document things like birthdays, Christmas, holidays, first day of school, reunions, vacations, etc. God however knows that the smaller, more menial moments usually define who we are, and He knows how to perfectly place them in our books to reveal His divine purpose. He will look at the table scattered with different shots, and decide, “Yes, that moment has helped define who she is! I must create a page out of this photo!” And in His perfection, God will pick out the most minute, random moments (and still some of the bigger events) to pull together a scrapbook of our lives. After all, He intimately knows each moment, for the scripture says, “I knit you together in your mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13) and “even the hairs on your head are numbered” (Matthew 10:30).

When God scrapbooks, He also knows that trials create who we are and who we will become. Unlike us, He will not leave out the harder times, because He fondly remembers that it was in those times that we were the closest to Him. He purposely keeps difficulties in our scrapbook, and on each page He reminisces of how we drew near Him during those times. For this very reason we are “to consider it joy when we face trials” (James 1:2), for each trial brings us closer to Him. He keeps these special, yet grueling, pages in our scrapbook to help us remember His faithfulness.

Scrapbooking is a kind of art, and God is the ultimate artist. A true artist can turn something that originally seems ugly into something beautiful. My tendency would be to remove some of the “less attractive photos” and only put in the best shots (which is why I am not an artist). But as God glances through all our pictures, even our ugliest, most sinful moments, He is overwhelmed with love for us. And yes, He chooses to keep the ugly ones, not because He remembers our sin, but because He remembers our growth. He knows that it was at our worst that His love became the most real … and those moments must be remembered by us all. So He carefully places the ugly shots in the book to produce humility and gratitude in our lives. And although our sin is as far from us as “the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12), the growth that has come from our repentance remains forever with us. To Him, these shots are the most beautiful.

Then He starts to design the page, taking one picture and overlaying it with another. He purposefully orchestrates the connections between different pictures in our lives and shows how they are divinely integral to each other. In our books, “He will make known the end from the beginning, …[His] purpose will stand, and [He] will do all that [He] pleases” (Isaiah 46:10). The person we met when were 12 might reappear when we are 60. The Bible study we held in college may finally show significance when we’re 40. Still, He has this uncanny ability to pull it all together in a perfect tapestry-like album.

Then He’ll decorate. He’ll put a gorgeous border around our saddest moment to reveal its splendor – “to bestow on [us] a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3). He’ll trim down the picture of our largest achievement to help us “not to think more highly of [ourselves] than we ought” (Romans 12:3). On some of the pages you can see incredibly intricate designs, recognizing how His hand was involved in every single step of a disappointment. On other pages he places a solitary picture, allowing that poignant moment to speak for itself. Still, on other pages, He fondly accompanies a photograph with the hand-written script of our testimony for all to read.

And when the pages (thus far) are completed, I can picture the Lord pulling out each of our yet-to-be finished scrapbooks and literally gushing over every single page with a Daddy’s love and pride. I can see Him looking at me five years ago, and with great affection, saying, “My, how she has grown!” I can visualize Him remembering the beauty of my repentance, the joy of my baptism, and the excitement of my infilling of the Holy Spirit. Maybe He sits down with tear-filled eyes and recalls, “Look at her there … My precious girl was so sad and disappointed.” Then He turns the page and smiles as He says, “But look at her now! There’s so much beauty and strength in her because of it. I’m so proud of her. That’s my girl!” Each and every page is precious to Him, and He looks at them over and over again with a supernatural, unconditional love.

And still, the scrapbook is not yet complete. Every time He reminisces over the book, He starts to get excited about its completion. And so He embarks on picking out the pictures for the next page and how He will weave it all together to tell the next segment of the unfinished story. With each picture, He greatly anticipates seeing the foreseen end of the journey, knowing that “He who began a good work in you will see it through to completion” (Philippians 1:6). To Him, each page represents a new adventure for us with Christ. What page is He scrapbooking in your life now? My advice would be to enjoy the page He’s on now, see the beauty in the past pages, and fill your heart with faith for what’s coming next.

The Book of Revelation talks about how God will review our lives when we meet Him face to face. Who knows? Maybe that review will come in the form of the ultimate Family Scrapbook!