Totally Free

I wanted to order some of the pictures that the "professionals"  took of us when we were at Disney.  They hand you this neat little card called a Photo Pass.  You hand it to the photographers stationed throughout the parks, and they can snap your memories for you.  You don't have to worry about getting that all important picture if someone else is taking care of it, right?  Well this was my way of thinking when the girls were busy hugging their favorite characters and princesses.  Oh I took lots of pictures, but I wasn't concerned about getting them to look my way.  I just figured I would order some of the better ones when we got back home.

Well, there were about 80 pictures all together.  I sorted through.  I reminisced.  I slightly longed to be back there.  I sighed and started picking out the best ones.  I had chosen about 25 pictures all together.  I went to check out and my total...are you ready for this???  It was over $450.  Yes, you are reading that correctly...four hundred and fifty dollars for a few photos.

I literally grabbed my chest and said out loud, "You have got to be kidding me!"

I am not spending that much on pictures.  It is fifteen dollars for a 4x6 photo.  And let me just tell you, there are some good ones.  There are some great ones as a matter of fact, but I can't justify paying that much for a picture.  Oh my heart is a little heavy. 

For those of you that don't know me as well, I am a picture fanatic.  I have albums upon albums.  Yes, I have to admit I am a tad behind since the birth of my second daughter, but I still take pictures all the time and order them as soon as I can.  I place them in albums where you can journal beside to write down little reminders about what we were doing and where we were at.  I love it.  It is so comforting to me to look back and remember fun things.

Now I am stuck with trying to narrow down 25 pictures to one or maybe two to order.  So much money for a reminder of the happy trip we took.

Soon after I had walked away from my computer to wrap my mind around how it could cost so much, I found myself humming a song the choir used to sing when I was a little girl.  It was always my favorite choir special growing up.  The chorus goes like this...

O, His grace is sufficient for me.
And His love is abundant and free.
And what joy fills my soul,
Just to know, just to know
That His grace is sufficient for me.
Did you catch that second line?  "His love is abundant and free"

Free, free, free!!!  His love costs us nothing!!!  His love is abundant!!!  His love is for anybody and everybody that is willing to receive it.  There is no charge.  We can have all His love if we accept it.  It will make us full of joy.  It is a perfect love.  It is the best love.  It is FREE!!!

Today's Verse
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

A verse we all probably know by heart.  But there is that word love.  God loved us so much, He sent His only Son.  We can believe Him and have everlasting life with Him.  All for free.  Totally free.  As another song say, "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe."  His love and the gift of salvation is free!

Oh I still wish I could buy a lot of those pictures, but I am simply not going to spend that much.  But, now when I  think about the high prices of so many things in life and I start to get angry, I'm just going to remember that the MOST important thing in my life is FREE!