Turn the Camera around…..

by Nanette Israel

You know I never took many selfies. Actually didn’t give it much thought until our sermon series used it in a unique, self-reflecting way. What I discovered surprised me and blessed me in a way I never would have guessed.

Initially I focused on the photograph, putting our best self out there for publication, often requiring some kind of preparation (make-up, hair done…okay guys for you a shirt and a shave?) Selfies are plastered on social media, often not even requiring a caption, the picture tells it all.

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy viewing pictures, smiles, life’s enjoyable moments. I even scrapbook-I know I’m really dating myself but I love the memories it triggers as I reflect on a trip I took or my husbands smile or my children laughing or my mother content with all her children around her.

Getting back to selfies, during the first two weeks, everything revolved around me thinking, “this would be a good selfie…”   This would be fun to enter into the contest, oh I’ll take that one over and maybe I’ll look better or let’s just present this as a selfie (even though it wasn’t).

All my focus was absorbed in me, Myselfie and I. As long as I stayed there in my thinking, I could not move forward. It was during the third week where I took a picture of some “friendsies” and noticed how beautiful they were: their smile, profile, simplicity, surroundings….Wow!   the focus was no longer a selfie focus.

Later in the series I took a picture of our small group, gone wild! It was amazing, when I finally figured out how to zoom in and make the picture larger, I could clearly see the message of turning the camera around….I’ve spent many a day being self absorbed and zoomed in on my ‘selfie’, if only I could focus on what God has put right in front of our eyes to help us navigate this world. For me, it is you, my husband, children, church family, small group or special friends, leaders, helpers, musicians.

If I was to put a caption on this photo (in my scrapbook) I would have to say:

• ‘A victorious vessel, that weathers the storm as we chart the course.
• Our open bible as our navigation tool
• Dependence on each other to hold us up, when we feel like sinking
• Glorious honor and ultimate gratitide to our Lord and Savior!