everyday grace

I’ve never been particularly creative or crafty, but I’ve always loved photography.

The prospect of capturing images in beautiful, inspiring, and creative ways intrigues me… and, quite honestly, challenges me.  There’s something about the blending of art and technology that I find fascinating.

However…

When I pick up my camera, my enemies Intimidation, Insecurity, and Fear wage war against my creativity.  I take one look at all of those buttons and dials and wonder to myself “Where, oh where, do I begin?”

Don’t laugh… I carry around my owner’s manual with the hopes of remembering just how to get the settings right, but I usually end up so frustrated that I give up and set my camera right back to the “Auto” mode.  Rather than harness the power of this digital SLR, I limit this wonderful device to that of an overweight point-and-shoot camera!

Lately, I’ve felt God challenging me… reminding me that when we are weak, He is strong… reminding me that He is the source of all of our gifts, talents, and abilities… encouraging me to lean into Him even more when I feel insecure or intimidated. I’ve sensed His grace over so many areas of my life, and I’ve felt this need to just pick up the camera and keep taking pictures…

… a lot of pictures…

… pictures of His gifts …

… of the ordinary days of my life…

… all images of His everyday grace…

So this summer, I’m fighting my enemies Intimidation, Insecurity, and Fear by elevating my gaze towards Jesus, looking for the evidence of His grace all around me.

I’ve made a commitment to

• take the camera everywhere I go
• shoot in the S, A, but mostly M modes (not in “auto” or “point-and-shoot”, not even “P”)
• aim for the best straight-out-of-the-camera shot I can make (but still leave room for a little Photoshop fun too)
• capture the images that remind me of His every day grace
• and journal it here!

His grace is indeed everywhere, every day, and it covers our fears and failures when we are in Christ. So many times I walk by, taking no notice of this extravagant grace, but this summer I don’t want to miss it.  Every day I want to capture it with eyes, heart… and lens!

So here goes grace… everyday grace, everyday photography!