Ready for the Road Ahead ~ Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing 4
 
This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            My youth group had traveled most of the day; 12 hours to be exact.  When we reached our destination in the heart of West Virginia and I stepped out of the car my wobbly legs caused me to put my arm on the car for balance and as I did I glanced upward.  I was met with a night sky I had never seen before except at the planetarium.  Not only was the Milky Way in all its glory stretched from one side of the horizon to the other, it seemed as if God had flung a million stars across the expanse as well.  The sight was breath-taking.  One of my favorite Bible verses immediately came to mind, “When I look at the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast made; what is man that Thou art mindful of him and the son of man that Thou dost care for him?” (Ps. 8:3-4). 
            When Abraham first encountered the God who created that endless expanse in the heavens the conversation was a little unusual considering the polytheistic background Abraham came from.  But we have a sense that Abraham did not ascribe to the religious opinions of his culture in that he recognizes Who he is talking to.  God tells Abraham that he will have descendants, which at 75 must have seemed incredulous (Gen. 12:1-3).  As Abraham’s story continues and the years pass by with no heir in sight it becomes a huge question in Abraham’s mind, “Just how are you going to accomplish this Lord?”  God’s answer is to escort Abraham outside of his tent.  “Look at the heavens and count the stars- if you can!” God challenges him (Gen. 15:1-21).  I love to imagine that scene, often thinking that what Abraham saw was akin to the amazing sky I saw that night long ago in West Virginia.  But that is the essence of faith- seeing something beyond what you see.
            Once a small group of my photographic friends and I met up at a community park on a chilly day in early Spring.  It was an odd time of year to be thinking about taking pictures outdoors.  The Northeast is notoriously dreary at that time of year.  It was my task to show them that there are pictures ANYWHERE if you have the eyes to see them.  We had to look beyond the obvious and see the photographic possibilities before us.  Abraham had to look into the night sky and see that with God the possibilities were as limitless as the number of stars in the sky.  If God could create a million stars, why wouldn’t he be able to create an heir for a barren couple?
            I often look at my life and see limitations.  Ideas and dreams float around in my head but when I think of accomplishing them I see myself as limited as Abraham and Sarah.  The mistake I make is that I transfer my limitations on to God.  But every now and then He escorts me “outside my tent”, makes me look up into the sky and says, “I am the God of a million stars.  Don’t you think I can orchestrate countless possibilities for your life too?” 
            So if I’m tempted to think of my circumstances or human frailty as a limitation or restriction God cannot overcome, it is wise to take another look at the God who created all those stars.  He is the God who defeated an army with pots and torches (Jud. 7:15-23), enabled a nation to cross a raging river on dry land (Jos. 3:1-17), protected 3 young men from a fiery furnace (Dan. 3:1-30) and gave a barren couple a son (Gen. 21:1-8) and so much more.   So why do I think He will not help me to fulfill that which He designed for me to do (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:6)?  The God of a million stars will always be the God of endless possibilities.  All I have to do is look up into the sky and believe.
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

            I knew the glass ball was not hovering over the floor.  I knew I had placed it on the honey-colored floor in front of the off-white wall with my own hands and then taken its picture.  But staring at the picture now showing on my computer screen seemed to be proving otherwise.  The glass ball most assuredly appeared to be floating just above the wooden surface as if some amazing magician was levitating it just outside the picture frame.  It was a fascinating optical illusion.  Optical illusions are brain teasers.  But illusions are a form of trickery.  And it’s best to recognize them as such.  Whatever shape or form they take, optical illusions are just that- illusions.  They are not what they appear to be.
            The grandest of all optical illusions occurred in the Garden of Eden.  We do not know how long Adam and Eve lived in that wonderful place before the Serpent enticed them to sin.  But we do know that there were living conditions set by God that, if followed, would produce a long and happy life- perhaps even an endless one (Gen. 2:15-17).  The Serpent intended to destroy that and he knew his mark well.  Like a crafty car salesman, he’d polished the lemon and was waiting for the first customer who knew nothing about cars so that with a graceful swoop of the hand across the cherry red hood he could reel in the unsuspecting buyer.  One look and Eve was hooked.   Who cares about God’s rules?  It looks GOOD!
            Photography is an art built on illusion.  From the moment one looks through the viewfinder to the press of the shutter, decisions to include or exclude information from a picture are made.  A flower can appear to be blooming in a beautiful garden as the close-up of its petals fill the page.  But in reality it could very well be blooming on a heap of garbage.  What fills the frame is ultimately an illusion.  The Bible tells us there is a grand and dangerous optical illusion in our life and we run into it on a daily basis.  It is the temptation of sin.  Proverbs is so mindful of this illusion it repeats the warning two separate times (Pr. 14:12; 16:25).  Sin looks harmless at first glance, even good at times, but in the end, its reality is death. 
            Neither you nor I have a corner market on the eye’s ability to lead us into sinful choices.  Scripture is replete with examples. Perhaps the greatest example of how sin can begin with a casual glance comes from the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:1-12:23).  The Bible makes note that David is not where he should be (2 Sam. 11:1-2) which puts him in a place where he sees something he normally wouldn’t have seen.  One glance led to a longer one which lead to an inquiry and finally to full blown sin (2 Sam. 11:1-27).  The result is the same as that of the first sin back in the garden.  Adam and Eve experienced death just as God said they would once they ate from the tree and the child conceived through David’s illicit affair died too (2 Sam. 12:23).  The fruit may have looked like a floating glass ball.  Bathsheba may have looked like a floating glass ball.  But it was only an illusion.
                        Temptation in itself is not sin, but yielding to it is (1 Cor. 10:13), especially when help is not far off (Is. 55:6; Lk. 11:4).  The greatest scene of temptation in the New Testament (and perhaps all of Scripture) is the encounter between Satan and Jesus (Mt. 4:1-11; Mk. 1:12-13; Lk. 4:1-13).  No matter what Satan offers, fame, power, or pleasure, Jesus steadfastly refuses them.  The illusions do not work on Him.  Instead His lens is fixed solely on God’s will and His Word and that Word reveals the Truth behind the illusions.  What Satan has to offer is the optical illusion of a floating ball.  The eyes may make it seem real but it is not.  God’s Word is the most powerful lens by which to view the optical illusion of sin.  We can’t escape those illusions.  They will always be a part of life.  But we can learn to distinguish them and avoid the consequence of our Biblical predecessors (Js. 1:14-15).  The question is, are you and I willing to take a closer look at the illusion and see it for what it truly is- an illusion.
 
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            My journey as a photographer began when I was 8 years old.  It was 1964 and the World’s Fair had opened in New York City.  My parents had given me a Kodak Instamatic Camera and I excitedly took pictures of our visits to the exhibits and displays.  When I hold those early pictures in my hands and take note of what captured my attention I have to smile.  I’m not sure I’d take the same shots today, but I certainly wouldn’t be cutting peoples’ foreheads off and I’d be holding the camera more steadily.  In spite of their short comings those early pictures prove that at 8 years old, with camera in hand, I was seeing the world in a new and different way. 
            Years later when photography actually became a craft I wanted to pursue and improve I was presented with another “little” camera.  At 8 I was excited to receive the Instamatic.  When the Canon Powershot A560 arrived, I confess I was not excited at all.  Since it was a gift I determined to hide my disappointment.  I had the idea of starting out my serious pursuit of photography with a much grander camera.  I had a particular goal in mind.  I wanted to capture the moon.  It had long fascinated me.  No matter what phase it appeared in, that beautiful silvery white celestial body called out to me from the sky and I wanted to grab a close-up of its craters and seas more than anything.  But the “little point and shoot” did not have the ability to do that.
            When the Lord started to stir up the “formless and void” of Genesis 1:1 prior to creation, I wonder if He was disappointed in what He had to work with in the same sense that I was disappointed with my “little camera”.  Of course not!  But for our benefit God has poetically recorded the process in the first chapter of Genesis and after each step the statement is made, “God saw that it was good.”  The act of seeing and sight is a thread that is tightly woven throughout Scripture.  Across its pages both God and humans are noted as “seeing”.  But the difference in the way they see is often quite broad. What God sees is not the same as what people see.  What man sees is limited.  What God sees is limitless.
            Truthfully it wasn’t a bad camera.  It did what it was designed to do quite nicely.  And it excelled at macro shots.  It just couldn’t take moon shots.  It took time but I eventually came to realize that by the mere fact that it was the camera I had to work with the Powershot truly developed my ability to SEE.  Instead of rushing head long into a photo, I had to stop, take time to look and think about what my camera was capable of doing and then take the shot.  Inevitably every time I did that, the picture was good.
            At first I thought the Canon Powershot A560 was limited.  In a sense and by virtue of manufacturing specifications it was.  It was designed to be a handy pocket camera suited for the average person’s photographic needs- birthday parties and vacation shots- and I was looking for a way to take pictures of the moon.  But in comparison the camera illustrates spiritual sight well.  What I see is limited.  What God sees is limitless.  What I sees falls short of my expectations.  What God sees is good.  I see a camera that can’t take moon shots.  God sees macros.
            Just as it takes time to understand the potential of a camera the process of developing spiritual sight takes time too.  I don’t always enjoy the process of learning this but faith has taught me to see beyond the physical circumstances and believe that when God says it is good, it is good.
            The little girl who excitedly snapped pictures with her Kodak Instamatic camera grew to be the woman who was less than excited when she received the Canon Powershot A560 but both cameras were instrumental in developing her sight.  At times I became focused on what I perceived to be limitations and I am not alone.  Human nature perpetually relies more on SEEING in the limited physical realm rather than the spiritual one.  Spiritual sight, like all of life is a journey.  The journey of seeing which a photographer takes begins with a simple camera.  The journey to spiritual sight requires us to discard our limited eyesight and to look through God’s limitless viewfinder instead.  We sigh and wish we had a better camera; God is satisfied with the camera we have and uses it to help us to truly SEE things as He does.  We want to see moon shots.  But God has uploaded a macro and He says that it’s good.
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre

This year Ready for the Road Ahead is taking on a new direction.  It is one that follows the grand theme of sight in all aspects which runs throughout Scripture.  My weekly writings will be excerpts from a book of the same name which should be published (Lord willing) later this year.
 
            Hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, tasting.  If I was asked to surrender all but one of my senses, I’d be hard-pressed to choose.  Each has its own distinct contribution to my life and all seem quite necessary to enjoy life to its fullest.  However I can think of remarkable people who have made a name for themselves in spite of lacking one or more of these vital components which we use on a daily basis.  But since we are exploring the connection between faith and sight the obvious choice would be that of seeing.
            From Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 sight plays an important role in matters of faith and it involves all facets of our eyes from making something known (that is revealing something so it can be seen) to the act of seeing- both in the physical and spiritual sense.  This facet of faith is driven home by the fact that the word “see” is used 1409 times in the Bible (as counted in the New American Standard Version; other versions are probably similar in count).  The number increases dramatically when you add in derivations such as “seeing, saw, seen, look, watch, and observe”. 
            Why is sight so important?  In the physical sense the answer is obvious.  How many times have you walked into something because you were not watching where you were going?  As for me, I have terrible night vision.  That’s why there are a number of little night lights placed strategically throughout my house!  Spiritual sight is even more critical because in the Biblical sense it often contains more truth then what we see (or don’t see) in the physical realm.  This point is driven home in the story of Elisha’s hapless servant who is convinced he and Elisha are about to come to a disastrous end at the hands of an army which surrounds his camp.  Fearsome warriors are all he can see.  Their weapons glisten in the sun ready to cut, slice and kill.  The servant cannot believe Elisha is viewing the situation with such calm until the prophet prays for his eyes to be opened and the truth of the situation is revealed.  The enemy army may be large, but the heavenly army God has sent to protect them is even larger (2 Kin. 6:8-17).
            The eye is a remarkable organ.  Spiritual eyes even more so.  We have a tendency to rely solely on our physical eyes as we go through life with all its ups and downs.  In the practical sense this is a necessity.  We see danger and avoid it.  We see sights which make us happy and enjoy them.  We see rain and grab an umbrella as we head out the door.  As we grow the connection between our sight and common sense develops and (hopefully) grows.  It’s all the more reason to admire those who have learned to compensate for the lack of it.  But in matters of faith it is important to develop the spiritual sight which enables us to look beyond the immediate situation and see what is going on “behind the scenes”.  Like Gehazi, Elisha’s sight-challenged servant, our eyes must be opened to see beyond what we perceive as reality to the realm of God’s activity which is often far more than what we think or expect (Eph. 3:14-20).
            Photography as become a surprising teacher for me in these matters.  But as I’ve delved more into the art and craft of it, photography has underscored a number of spiritual truths throughout the pages of Scripture.  My journey as a photographer has become a metaphor for my walk of faith; my pictures object lessons of principles the God-head has taught me along the way.  As my photographic sight has developed and matured I’ve come to see parallels in the way my spiritual sight has developed and matured.  I am about to share with you some of those lessons (and dare I say insights) with you in hopes that you too will see the Lord working in a similar way with you (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
 
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
https://www.annhlefevre.com; Olivetreeann@mail.com; https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhlefevre; https://www.facebook.com/ann.h.lefevre