Today I begin an ongoing blog series called, “Photography Fridays.” Each Friday I will publish a reflective-inspirational style post from photographs I have taken, which is a recent hobby I’ve adopted as an attempt for of artistic expression. So I anticipate this will be a work in progress. In the meantime, these photos will involve organic images within creation that I have found to be inspirational, and I want to share their inspiration with you. Together, my hope is that we can visibly see the Creator at work, enjoy His beauty, and appreciate that His creation is indeed glorious and filled with works of art each day. With this brief explanation, I’ll now share my first picture.
Originally this random set of steps led to a pier on Smith Lake in North Alabama, and to some could serve as an eyesore. But as I reflected on them I realized they still had meaning left in them. I felt the rocks and the grass around the steps provided a contrast between hope and despair. They reminded me of the typical conflict between “being in the valley of the shadow of death”[1] and resting in “green pastures.”[2] Also, the steps themselves may look like a barrier between the two landscapes at first, but in reality they are bridge between the two areas. Therefore, in our lives the path to rescue from our adverse times to moments of contentment are just a few steps away. They key is to acknowledge that our obstacles in life may actually be paths of opportunity than walls of imprisonment.
This is why I appreciated this abandoned set of steps. They reminded me that even the ugliest parts of our lives could speak profoundly to us. The trick is to relax and find the value even in the most abandoned things. Remember, God could have discarded us, but while we were still eyesores, He loved and valued us anyway.[3] As a result, we don’t have to fear any hate, any negativity, or any ugly part of our lives. Rather, we must intentionally choose to value our adversity. When we learn to do this we will then find love and peace.[4] This of course is easier said than done.
Lastly, this set of steps has inspired me to continually look for hopeful reminders among creation. This is because with God hope is closer than I realize. So I simply need to follow His next steps towards contentment. Also, I pray you will walk with me as we look for a life filled with more hope than despair.
In the meantime, thanks for reading today. Again, this is my first post in the series so pray with me that the pictures and the reflections continue to get better.
So what are some reflections you have about these steps? What could they represent in your life? How close are you to being where the grass really is greener if we would just realize it?
