Aging Photos

January 12, 2019

Photos showing how people have aged over the years are all the rage on Facebook these days. It’s a fad that contains a basic problem. Occasionally we’ll see one that shows an individual or couple who have changed their lifestyle and gotten enough healthier that they look better today than they did some years ago. Most of us aren’t so lucky. I look in the mirror and wonder why from the looks of me, I was standing in the middle of the road waiting to get run over by that truck. If I were to post before and after photos of myself, I would be at a grave disadvantage in that there is a lot of time in between the before and the after. It’s a good thing that I didn’t lose my sense of humor along with my hair.

The real problem with such photogenic comparisons is that they cannot capture what’s really important. If we do it right, as the body shows increasing signs of wear and tear, the soul would show signs of deepening strength and real beauty that a camera cannot catch. Rarely, an artist can capture the depth of the inner self, but most of our photos only show skin.

If a soul-camera were available, I would like to think that my “after” picture would reveal more compassion, a deeper holiness, a greater love than I had fifty years ago. I would like to think it shows a softening of the lines of judgment and a deepening sense of justice. Beneath the hairline that long ago receded into the background, I would hope lies a greater wisdom.

Little that is important about aging can be captured by the lens, so these photos tell me little about the persons depicted. Time hasn’t been particularly kind to this old body, but I believe my soul to be stronger, more alive and resilient than ever before, even though lived amidst various aches and pains and diminished physical strength. I don’t know why this photo-fad has taken off the way it has, but I am thankful that it has given me reason to reflect on what’s really important in life.

There is one photo comparison I want to make tonight. We celebrated our eldest son and daughter in law’s 25th anniversary. It’s not a professional photo, but in it they sit behind their engagement picture filled with anticipation of the future. And now, 25 years later, their integrity, faith, faithfulness, and love is seen not in the “after” photo, but in the faces of scores of people whose lives have been touched by their love for God, for each other, for their children, and for the world around them. I think the only “after” photos that are really important are the ones that show the lives changed by the people in the “before” photo.