It always begins with just one. Any collection starts this way, and then grows and grows until those who know you best just shake their heads when they hear you’ve bought another one. For me, it was a clear plastic picture frame with confetti hearts inside. As a teenager, this seemed fun and youthful and something I had to have.
From there, I collected picture frames, but never ordinary ones. I bought the most unique ones I could find. I had a frame with wire vines curling around it and flowers sprouting out the sides, breakable frames, soft frames, brightly colored frames, patterned frames, themed frames. When I graduated from high school, someone gave me a picture frame with a globe coming out of one side. I even had one that looked like a tiny replica of a retro TV.
Even into adulthood, I enjoyed framing and re-framing pictures. (In the past 20 years, I have re-framed my favorite wedding photos several times.) Once I had my daughter, I really had fun with cute baby frames, pink polka dot frames, silver frames with ladybugs and bees and butterflies, and even frames with writing on them.
With the advent of cameras in our phones, this only encouraged me to take more pictures and thus have more excuses to buy frames. I have cut back over the years, I must admit, just for the sake of limited space. And every time I buy a new frame, I give away an old one. So I only have a handful in my house right now. But once in a while, I will still see a frame that makes my heart do a little cartwheel, and I feel like I must have it.
My husband has been very patient with this quirk of mine, and he knows that in our house, picture frames will come and go more frequently than guests. Most recently, I was shopping for new frames for my daughter’s senior portraits. I found some gorgeous agate ones – they were actually made from the beautiful agate stone and were very heavy. I texted a picture of them to my dear hubby, who really didn’t like them, so I put them back on the shelf and bought some different frames that we both liked.
But I’ve been thinking about those picture frames and others like them that are so elaborate one might wonder what type of photo would be fancy enough to put in them. (Wedding photos, perhaps? Which makes me think it’s about time to re-frame mine again, but I digress.)
Picture frames, however beautiful, have one job, don’t they? To preserve a beloved picture, a treasured person or a lovely memory or season of life. They are meant to serve a purpose, whether it’s just a simple wooden frame or a sparkly one with rhinestones. They protect and display people, places, and things we love.
In a Bible study I attend, we have been learning about Saul becoming king of Israel. And we’ve had some interesting discussions about why God would choose Saul. All we are really told is that Saul is as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else (1 Samuel 9:2).
It’s interesting that we are told these superficial traits of his, but not much about his character. We do see that he is out looking for his father’s donkeys, so he does seem to be trustworthy, someone who wants to please his father and serve him well. Other than that, though, we don’t really see a whole lot in Saul to demonstrate to us that he is worthy to be king.
In fact, when it’s time for Samuel to anoint Saul as king, Saul hides in the supplies, or the baggage. Which must have been an odd sight, what with him being such a tall man! And we read in 1 Samuel 10:22 that God is the one who rats him out. The people are looking around for him after his name has been called, but they don’t see him.
And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” I certainly find this humorous, and I also find it endearing that he was hiding because I can identify with that. Personally, I understand the flight portion of the fight or flight response. But as far as a kingly reaction, it was not.
If you read further in 1 Samuel, it’s not long before Saul begins to show impatience with Samuel and offers up burnt offerings and sacrifices himself (which was against their law, as Saul was not a priest). Additionally, he outright disobeys God’s order in battle and then tries to blame it on his men. Ultimately, Saul shows that his fear of man is greater than his fear of God.
Which causes us to ponder, why did God choose Saul? Although he may have looked the part, he never really became the man that he could have been. And further, why does God choose us to do the tasks He calls us to do? Because we are something special?
I want to submit a thought to you: no. No, God does not choose us because of our beauty or talent or intelligence or importance. He chooses to use us because we are vessels for Him.
For example, take our Bible study volunteers. Every Wednesday morning, we huddle around in a circle, praying before beginning another busy day. United by a desire to serve God and love others, we come together every week. We bring our Bibles, our lunches, our binders full of papers and guidelines. Our water bottles in all hues and sizes.
Many have brought their children too. For all of the tote bags we dragged in, we are carrying far more on the inside. But still we come. And still we gather. And still we pray. Because we are only vessels. Sometimes broken, dirty, tired, perplexed ones, at that. And what really matters is a God who chooses to fill us and use us for a cause greater than ourselves.
And that’s what Saul was too. He, though handsome and a head taller than anyone else, was merely a vessel. (He was one of those pretty frames.) As such, God could have used him. He could have gone down in history as a great king. Because unlike picture frames, we are vessels with a choice.
Each day, we have the opportunity to be used by God. Do we accept that challenge? Or do we hide out in our baggage and hope no one finds us?
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Clay jars, like breakable picture frames, are fragile. And so, too, are we. We are weaker than we’d like to be – sometimes physically, often morally and spiritually as well. Like Saul, we make poor decisions. We don’t always remember that our purpose as vessels, or jars, or even picture frames, is to put God on display. To let Him shine His light through our broken pieces.
When we put our daughter’s senior pictures into these new frames, we won’t be looking at the frames. We’ll be enjoying the pictures, remembering how much fun we had on the photo shoot and giving glory to God for all of His good gifts.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).
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