Looking Through A Lens

My daughter and I spent the majority of last week attending a photography boot camp.  I have owned my camera for years, but never learned to use it properly, until last week.  Wow! That camera of mine can do a lot. I truly had no idea.

Not only did I learn a lot about my camera and how to take better pictures, I also learned that my years are starting to catch up with me. I am not quite as keen as I once was. My 13-year old soaked up all of that information as quick as it hit her brain.  I, on the other hand, had to ask the same questions over and over until it finally started to stick. There were even a few times that Annie said, "Just give it to me," as she would take the camera out of my hands and adjust the settings so that I could get the picture that I wanted.

One thing that is very obvious about a camera - that I think everyone knows - is that you have to look through the lens in order to take a picture.  When looking through the lens, your vision is very limited. One can only see that small square of space that is allowed by the particular lens being used. There are some lenses that allow a broader picture, but still it is limited.

That is exactly how life is.  We have such limited vision. We know what happened in the past and we have hope for what will happen in the future, but we can only actually see what is happening right now, right in front of us. That makes it so easy to get caught up in the here and now.

One thing our photography instructor stressed during our lessons is that we shouldn't get so caught up in taking that perfect picture that we forget to create the real memories. Those things that are going to matter 5, 10, 25 years down the road. That prompted me to take an overabundance of pictures of my daughter taking pictures! The scenery was beautiful, but what I really want to remember about our trip is the special time that I had with my daughter.

As you are moving through life . . . through today . . . tomorrow . . . this week, I pray that you take the time to look at the bigger picture.  What is going to matter a few years down the road? Whatever is happening in your life right now is part of the bigger picture. The book of Romans tells us:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

What does that look like in your life?  May you find JOY in adding to the Big Picture.

Tami