Recently, I was digging through the camera roll on my iPad. I was trying to find a picture of one of my daughters when she was young to post on my Facebook page. For some crazy reason, the camera roll on my iPad has all my pictures going back to 1998 — the dawn of digital photography.

As I was scanning the pictures, I made a startling discovery. Since my iPad shows all the pictures grouped by year, I could see in the thumbnails a distinct difference of expressions on the faces of my kids as I scanned. The years leading up to my divorce were, for the most part, happy and smiling. The year of my divorce, and the year after my divorce, it was very apparent that they were not happy. Their smiles were gone; their eyes held the pain they were experiencing. It was very sad.

Yet, as I continued to scroll, you could begin to see a marked difference in their expressions. The smiles were returning and their eyes were filling with joy. This was not by accident. It was the result of my pouring my love into them, day by day, week after week, and it was the impact of countless prayers for their healing. Like a wilted house plant that receives extra care and attention, my kids began to blossom once again.

What do you want to be on your camera roll ten years from now? Sure, your pictures during your divorce will reflect the pain of that time, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. It is up to you the life you live from this point forward, and the resulting memories that will be captured forever in your photos.

If you really live your faith and invite Our Lord into your life, He will heal you. If you pour your love into your kids, you will help heal them. Should you do this, your camera roll will capture the miracle of healing that comes from a life — despite the divorce, despite the pain, and despite the fear — that has been lived in full trust of a God that will never abandon you, a God who so desperately wants to heal you and those you love, and a God who died to give you a life full of abundant peace and joy. So, what’s going to be on your camera roll?

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. – Psalm 34:6-7

Originally posted 2016-04-29 16:04:32.