Images

In high school I was the layout design editor for our school yearbook.  I excelled in art with thoughts of pursuing it further in college.  However, God led me to a degree in cross-cultural ministries instead.   The reason?  I wanted to work more directly with people rather than a canvas.  But one thing I learned through art and design was how to see.

The trick with images is not how much to include, but what to exclude.  More is not always better, it is just more.  I love the 'zoom-in' feature of my camera because I can focus on my subject as I'm taking the picture rather than cropping it later.  (If only I could do the same with writing!)

 

You may have heard the saying, 'pictures don't lie'.  Actually they do.  It is incredibly easy to present only the beautiful, purposefully missing the messes. 

In the same way, we like to crop our lives, leaving out the ugly, creating an ideal picture for a gushing world to approve.  The result is an edited person without flaws or fault.  But what they don't see is our failures as a parent, our struggles in a marriage, or our frustrations on a job . . . the clutter that is not so pretty. 

I crave real people, genuine relationships beyond facebook or blogging.  Oh, we do need victory stories.  But when all I see are white picket fences my heart sinks low because I know I fall short of such perfection.  I am encouraged when I learn that another struggles with weakness.  This is one reason why we are to "bear one another's burdens." (Gal. 6:2)

I first entered the blogging world as a step of faith, in obedience to God.  But I find it very consuming and a distraction from real living.  At times I even take pictures with my blog in mind, seeking an image of presentation rather than truly enjoying the moment for what it is:  a memory to cherish.

My life has transitioned into a new season that is, in truth, a little strange for me.  I'm floundering a bit with guilt for not doing more.  But then, as mentioned above, sometimes more is not better, it is just more.   Making this house a home is really my first calling.  Why is it so much easier to expend my energies outside the home?  Maybe it has something to do with that image I'm speaking of.

Social networking is like dating.  We can crop our lives to fit the frame of a watching world.  I want to live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God. (Micah 6:8)  I desire a deeper relationship with Him and with my family.  But this cannot be achieved in the public eye.  Rather, it is accomplished in the private world of prayer and communion.   It is here that I hope to place more of my energies.