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Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and just wonder how you got to where you are in that picture? Have you ever looked at an old photo and think "what in the world was I thinking?" I had one of these moments today. As I stared into a photo of myself I didn't really know quite what to think. These last few months have been rather difficult for me. With my dad going through his second divorce and my grandfather passing away, it is easy to look at your life and wish things didn't have to happen the way they do. But as I continued to look at that picture, memories of the past filled my head. I remembered the heartache of when my parents first got divorced as a child. I remembered the many tears I cried when seeking to do the right thing. I remembered all the petty things I did that I got in trouble for. I remembered the good times and the bad times. I remembered the anger and the pain. I remembered the love and the laughter. And then I remembered what Jesus did and is still doing in me. I remembered Romans 5:3-5 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." It is easy to look at what happened then or what is happening now and begin to ask "what if..." or even "why?" But as the memories of my life flashed in my mind, it was very clear of how I ended up who I am today in that picture. It was the love, the anger, the laughter, the pain, the heartache that made me who I am today. It was the trials and the victories that forged my character into something that could be used by God. See I believe that God is doing something in every one of our lives, helping us to become who He has designed us to be. Sometimes its easy and other times it is so hard, but if we persevere, it will produce character, and out of that a hope that lasts way beyond ourselves. Look at yourself today... what do you see? Sometimes all it takes is a picture...