Whispering Memories

©2022 John Sorrel – All Rights Reserved

Photographs capture moments in time that will never come our way again. Moments they capture are gone yet still present for us who behold them. They whisper so many things to us, such as feelings of awe, joy, peace and sometimes mourning, for what has passed. At their best, they bring forth gratitude as we reflect on times we see God's hand working in our lives.

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." -- Isaiah 64:8

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -- Ephesians 2:10

On this day, we drove out to Cypremort Pointe State Park to "see what we could see." It had been a goal of mine to capture a sunset behind something in the foreground. Like perfect timing, the opportunity presented itself as the sun set behind an oak tree. A family was enjoying fishing in the shade the tree provided, even as the sun set. With camera in hand, I began taking pictures. Many months latter the Holy Spirit would reveal the significance of the photos.

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things." -- Ecclesiastes 11:5

Fast forward eight months and we arrive on a day where I left my new tripod in the same park after a photo shoot. In recent years I desperately needed an upgrade on my tripod to support large telephoto lenses. Serious professional tripods are very expensive so I saved for up to get one. A few days after taking photos in the park, I went to get my tripod and could not find it. Frantically, I looked through my vehicle, our home and even retraced where I had used it last. After hours of looking, I realized I left in the park. My camera plus a large telephoto lens weighs near twenty pounds, so normally I take the camera off the tripod and go store it. Then I return for the tripod, but on that day it was dark, and mosquitoes were beginning to swarm so I hurried back into the vehicle without realizing I had not picked it up. Shock overcame me followed by anger and disappointment. That evening I prayed to Jesus for its return, and thanked Him for the time I had to use it though I must admit there was a pessimistic feeling deep down. I had faith in Him, yet my trust in people wasn’t so high as I lost a tripod decades earlier in a similar manner.

The next day I called the park in desperation and to my amazement a park ranger had picked it up for safe keeping. Thankfulness and praise filled me. A few days later I drove back to the park to get it. To show my thankfulness, I let the rangers see photos I had taken so they could pick one as a gift. There wide open eyes, expressions of awe and compliments were a boost of encouragement. God not only demonstrated He is faithful and hears my prayers, but opened a door for future work.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." -- Lamentations 3:22-23

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." -- John 14:13

But the defining moment came when a ranger told me how much she loved the photo with this tree for it had been removed a few months earlier to make improvements. Some regular park visitors were not happy about its removal. She went on to explain how the park was actually making major improvements where the tree had been, so fishing from that location would be even better.

It was then I realized God’s hand had been at work for many months to bring about this moment. Thank you Jesus for allowing me to capture this photo for those who will see it and reflect on cherished memories of fishing under the shade of the mighty oak.