Learning Through the Lens

I'm amazed at the way the Lord seems to parallel life lessons with whatever stage I'm in photographically!
It started with the first black & white film classes I took; what struck me then was the CONTRAST. I loved to push my film so the blacks and whites were stark and clear. Shortly after this, I started Bible College and began to learn so much from God's Word! As I studied, I found that God is holy, set apart, and requires holiness from us (Leviticus 20:26, I Peter 1:16). Right and wrong became stark contrasts, and I was forced to sort through things in my own heart and life. I loved that (after a few open-ended philosophy classes) there is ABSOLUTE TRUTH, and I talked about it, and defended it. I also hurt some friends in the process.
I came to understand why it is so necessary to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and how gentle our heavenly Father is when He teaches, disciplines, and directs His children (Hebrews 12:5-7, 11 and Revelation 3:19). At this same time (though I didn't put it together until later), I had begun to appreciate the different tones of black and white, which give an image depth and detail. Don't mistake me; these tones don't subtract from the blackest of blacks or the whitest of whites, just as speaking the truth in love doesn't make the truth any less absolute.
An intermission in Bible College gave me the opportunity to live out what I'd been learning in class. God took my lessons beyond mere words and academia to life! It was at this point that I began to explore COLOR photography; it was really the first time I'd even been able to see in any way but black and white, so trained was my eye. I found the color truly made my images come to life! This is when I started to see the parallels between God's lessons and my photographic studies.
I put my camera down for awhile, and have only taken it up again this past year. And with it, comes another lesson, maybe less technical and more artistic: My husband and I moved recently from the gorgeous California coast for life in the dusty, flat, often smoggy valley. With this move, God has given me a desire to search for the beauty here, amidst that which is commonly considered not beautiful (I've even heard it likened to armpits and hell!).
I realized--and this part is much more difficult--that I must find the beauty and rejoice in my circumstances, and in every trial I face! (I Peter 1:6-9) Because the beauty is there, the Lord promises it is! (Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose.")

Here is a bit of the beauty I've found around my new home, and I pray it stokes you like it stoked me:

The almond groves in full blossom:

Rusty wheels on an old trailer:

Tulips from a friend:

The peach orchard in bloom: