Too Big

I was talking to Jack today in his office. We were standing at the window, checking out the severity of the rain that was falling before I left to walk to the car. I noticed a picture on his window sill of a large group of people, so I asked him about it. It was taken soon after his wife and he married, and it was of their children (adult and youth), spouses, significant others, grandchildren, parents, and an aunt. It was brimming over with a happy family.

He told me that the well-known professional photography studio almost refused to take the picture. The large group didn't fit their guidelines for pictures. Too many for their space. "Can't we photograph you in groups instead of all together?" They were worried that someone would look at the picture, see their little gold embossed name in the corner and think the image wasn't up to standards.

He and Nancy insisted that the picture they wanted was of the entire large group; they wouldn't settle for anything else.

How often do we let the laws get in the way of expressions of love? Does legalism outdo grace? Do we let our worry about what other people might think of us stop our ability to show love and grace? To share God's love of other people? What pictures do we miss?