Sep
10
2018
The Photograph
Posted in Discipleship 4 Comments
I saw the photograph when she posted it on Facebook.
I immediately loved the photo.
I actually commented on it.
I wanted the photographer to know how much I appreciated her work.
The photographer goes to my church.
She has a full time job as the Director of Technology and Media at a local Christian school.
Photography is her passion.
Photographing nature is what she loves to do best.
A nature photographer who loves the Lord sees the marvel of His creation.
This woman can exquisitely capture a drop of rain falling from a flower.
Her photographs of birds are astounding.
Her eye tends to see nature as a still life.
The day she posted the picture, I had to do a double take.
The picture truly looked like a painting.
Not just any painting, but a painting by my favorite artist.
I told her, in my comment, that her photograph looked very Wyeth-esque.
She and I had talked at church in the spring.
We talked about meeting for breakfast and getting to know each other better.
As the summer flew by, she reached out to me and we put a date on the calendar.
I was looking forward to our morning.
She has two grandchildren.
The pictures she takes of them are so precious.
She can capture their innocence with their personality shining through.
She loves taking pictures.
She belongs to a photography group.
Whenever the photographers meet, they glean from each other.
She enjoys learning even one new technique that she can practice at home.
Many things she has learned to advance her craft, she has learned this way.
I wanted to talk about the picture that caught my eye.
The picture touched something deep in my soul.
It was mysterious.
It was magnificent.
The photograph was of a stone fishing cabin at on old ferry landing on the island.
Steps are leading up to the door of the naturalist shack.
The sky is dark except for the faintest light along the horizon.
It is what was captured above the stone cabin that intrigued me.
My friend told me that she had traveled to Assateague Island in order to take photos.
All day long she and two others photographer friends were taking nature pictures.
The met another group of photographers at another location.
It was so nice to meet new photography friends.
Someone from the new group told my friend that the Milky Way would be visible that night.
This person suggested two locations from which they could view the Milky Way.
They decided to go back to where they were staying, rest a bit, then head back out.
They gathered the camera equipment they would need.
My friend and her companions went to the suggested location.
The other group was not there.
They tried the second location.
The other group was not there either.
My friend thought that perhaps they changed their mind or fell asleep.
She and her companions were there so they decided to stay.
She explained that when you photograph a night sky, you need something in the foreground.
The stone cabin was perfect.
The photograph she took of the Milky Way over the stone cabin looked like a painting.
She simply called her photograph, Milky Way.
The photograph took my breath away.
I wanted to go to that stone cabin; the stillness called to me.
My friend told me how she puts many of her photos on canvas.
I imagined this photograph resting on an easel.
I made a mental note to look on her website.
Perhaps, I would buy that photograph from her.
The women’s ministry of our church has a fall auction each year.
Proceeds from the auction goes to childcare for Bible studies and the women’s retreat.
I already had something planned with my youngest daughter for that same day.
I thought that maybe I could stop over before I left to place a silent bid.
To my delight, a canvas of the Milky Way photograph was up for auction.
I asked if it was part of the silent auction, but it was not.
I would actually have to be there to bid on it.
I texted a friend, a young mom who comes to Bible study in my home.
She was so kind to agree to bid on the photograph for me.
I told her the amount of my maximum bid.
I set out to meet my daughter for the day that we had planned.
About twenty minutes after the start of the actual auction, I got a text.
I got it!
My friend won the bid for $5 less than my maximum amount.
I thanked her and made arrangements to see her at church so I could pay her.
I was grateful; I was smiling; I knew just where I would put the canvas.
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons…The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. (Mark 3:13-15 and 6:30)
Jesus called twelve men to be with Him.
Jesus sent them out to preach His Word and to do His work.
The Twelve were called apostles, literally, sent ones.
The Hebrew word that encapsulates the role of apostle is shaliach.
A shaliach is an authorized representative.
The Twelve could not go out and say anything they wanted to say.
The Twelve could not go out and do anything they wanted to do.
The Twelve went out with Jesus’ authority, not their own.
I have taught the concept of shaliach to the women in Bible study over the years.
It hit me later that day that my sweet friend performed the role of the shaliach at the auction.
She bid for me; she represented me.
She could not bid whatever she thought was appropriate; she could only bid what I authorized.
We are also sent ones.
If we are in Christ, we go out with Jesus’ authority.
We are His representatives.
We are His ambassadors.
My friend was my shaliach at the auction.
I now have a wonderful photograph on canvas to remind me.
We are Jesus’ shaliach to a world that desperately needs to know Him.
We go out under His authority to speak His Words and do His work.
POSTSCRIPT: When I mentioned to my friend that I was writing about her photograph, she answered back with the same heart that captured this amazing shot: So glad you love it. I hope it brings you joy and reminds you of the One who calls the stars by name.
Oh, it does!
It truly does!
I saw this too and absolutely loved it! So glad you got it! I have been captivated by this common friend’s work, particularly of birds. She is gifted and gives glory to the gift Giver so humbly.
Amen, Andi.
Our friend uses her gift for the Lord.
She blesses so many with her photographs.
Gina
What a beautiful picture! It could indeed be a painting! Your friend sounds like someone I’d like to know, to share creativity with her. God is so good to give talents to each of us that we can share with others.
Sue,
I agree.
God is so good.
To see the beauty of His creation and capture it is truly a gift.
Gina