Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing #19
 
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.

            While a tripod may not be human it is certainly one of the photographer’s best friends.  Laurence Noah, a photography blogger, listed 10 useful purposes for this trusty photographic side-kick which included things like holding the camera steady during long exposure shots and landscapes.  I would add two more from my own experience.  The tripod is oftentimes more sure and steady than even the most rock solid hand-held shot, and when you attach a remote shutter to your camera the tripod allows you to step away from it so that you can capture elusive subjects like birds.  It may not be as devoted as a human friend can be, but it’s just as dependable.

            If you’re looking for the qualities and traits of a good friend on the internet you won’t have trouble finding them.  Lists contain anywhere from 7 to 44 different characteristics with traits such as trustworthy, honest, a good listener, supportive in good and bad times, able to find humor in life and the ability to express empathy in times of need.  Sadly, the man who needed friends the most in his time of trouble, Job, had so-called friends who sorely lacked in many of these areas.  Chapter 2 of Job opens with the arrival of three of Job’s friends who have supposedly come to offer him support after calamity has struck.  If these three had truly come to offer sympathy and comfort, it was never recorded!  The long-winded speeches of Job’s friends in chapters 3 through 37 contain perfectly logical arguments constructed to prove the common belief that suffering equaled sin.  Rather than comfort their words were literally salt poured on Job’s open wounds.  But instead of accepting the usual explanation, “you’re getting what you deserve”, Job demonstrates that suffering actually reveals how truly godly one is as they bear the unbearable and seek the comfort of God in the midst of their trial.

            Other Bible passages have some things to say about friendship too.  Some of the most telling verses about what makes someone a good friend come out of the Book of Proverbs.   Proverbs informs us that a friend loves at all times (17:17), watches what they say (7:4; 16:28), is not a “fair weather friend” but sticks “closer than a brother” (18:24), speaks the truth in love (27:6) rather than using the flattery of a deceptive enemy, offers “sweet” counsel in their words (27:9), comes to your aid because they want to not because they have to (27:10) and doesn’t make a show of themselves (27:14).  Two other verses stand out in the New Testament.  Jesus described how a friend responds when there is a persistent need in your life (Lk. 11:5-8) and taught that the greatest form of friendship is the setting aside of one’s own needs for that of another (Jn. 15:13).

            Perhaps the most tumultuous time in a person’s life is the early teen years.  The choice of one’s friends in those hormonally charged years is truly critical.  The right kind of friends make you feel like you matter in spite of what goes on in school or at home.  The wrong friends tend to encourage poor choices and get you into trouble.  Unfortunately you have to learn the difference between these two the hard way.   At least I did!  But the Lord in His providence allowed me to realize my poor choice in one particular “friend” before it was too late.  “Mary” came from a broken home and was often left to her own devices.  Now many years later I can see that her behavior was probably a cry for help.  But I got sucked into that behavior for a short time and I’m not proud to say, followed her exactly UNTIL we were almost caught.  It scared me so much that I finally listened to my conscience and stopped.  The friendship died almost immediately when Mary saw that I would no longer participate with her.   If Mary was a tripod she was a cheap, shoddy, knock-off of one of the top brands.  She initially gave the impression of being a friend but the materials by which she was made were unreliable and substandard.

            Although she was not a good friend she taught me an invaluable lesson on the traits and qualities of someone who is.  Job’s friends fell short of the Biblical model of friendship in every way just like Mary did.  But they also teach us about what to look for in true friends just like Mary taught me.  The tripod is a good illustration for what a true friend does.  Its sturdy design and the abilities it has to improve one’s pictures reminds us that true friends are a great support and help us to be what God truly intends for us to be.  So if you’re in the market for a true friend, think “tripod”!

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

Ready for the Road Ahead ~ Photography, Faith and the Art of Seeing #18
 
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.

            When I was a little girl the only thing I liked about going to the dentist’s office were the magazines which he had in the waiting room.  At the back of every issue was a “Hidden Picture” puzzle.  These graphic illustrations depicted a scene which at first glance seemed to be a fairly ordinary picture.  But hidden within those scenes were a collection of objects that were cleverly blended into the picture such as a toothbrush, a flower or a hammer.  A pictoral list would be posted underneath the picture and it was fun to search for the hidden items by studying the list and then carefully looking at every inch of that picture! I think those puzzles may have developed my photographic eye long before I even picked up a camera simply by making me take a long look at the picture before me.  Sometimes seeing God at work in our lives is like searching for those hidden pictures.  He is hidden in the picture of our life and we have to look very carefully to find Him.

            Seeing God at work in the events of the Book of Esther is one of the Bible’s greatest hidden pictures.  Many have noted that it hardly contains anything “religious” at all with the exception of fasting (Est. 4:15-17).  On the other hand the “Hidden God” of Esther also seems deliberate.  Esther falls in the literary genre of wisdom literature which teaches a spiritual truth through parables, repetition, word patterns and you guessed it, hidden pictures in the words!  Such is the case in Esther’s poetic invitation asking the king and Haman to a luncheon in her palatial suite (Est. 5:8).  Sadly you cannot see it in English, but in Hebrew when the lines of Esther’s request are lined up properly one can easily see the four Hebrew letters that compose the name Yahweh.  It’s literary hint that God is at work in the Persian Empire in spite of the evil intentions of Haman.  When Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews is discovered by Mordecai, he literally mourns over the coming destruction of the Jewish people outside the palace gate.  The Persian Court looked down upon any display of negative emotions within the palace, but word reaches Esther that Mordecai is putting on quite a display.  A dialogue ensues between the two which ends with a challenge from Mordecai which also contains a guarded reference to the Lord (Est. 4:1-13).  Mordecai’s use of “another place” is used at other times and in other sources to attribute something to a Divine Being (Est. 4:1-13).

            I would like to say I’ve mastered the ability to see with eyes of faith in any given situation.  I would also like to say there is a formula, a quick “how to” process that will enable you to see as some of those aforementioned heroes saw their situations.  But I can’t.  Just as it takes time to develop the ability to see pictures in uncommon or less than perfect situations, it takes time to recognize when God is working in the background to bring about His prefect will (Phil. 4:11-13). 

            I’m not sure who first discovered the Great Horned Owl and her nest in the Sycamore tree.  I certainly wouldn’t have looked for an owl nest in a tree by a parking lot but it when you looked at the tree it was obvious why it was chosen.  Someone really knew what to look for because Mrs. O really blended in with the tree bark.  When it comes to my faith I’d like to be that kind of tracker.  I’d like to be able to look at issues and circumstances in my life and say, “Oh, that’s the Lord doing this,” or, “That’s the Lord doing that”.  But more often than not I struggle to see what God is doing until well after the event is over.  For those tracking the work of God in the days of Esther it may have seemed to be a tricky job for a while.  He appeared to be hidden from view in everything just like His name is hidden in Esther’s book.  Haman and his supporters appeared to have the upper hand.  They even manipulated the king into making a disastrous decree against the Jewish people (Est. 3:7-15).  However God had the component of deliverance from that decree hidden away in the king’s harem (of all places!) and in His perfect timing deliverance was attained (Est. 8:1-17).  Our lives will always seem to be filled with hidden pictures, those places where God is at work but we can’t see Him.  Our faith will be stretched as we cling to “the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).  But like those picture puzzles in the magazines at the dentist’s office, the challenge of discovering where He is at work is a fun exercise in learning to see.

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