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Hold That Pose – Week 1 (Ordained Minister, Evangelist, Christian Comedian, Executive Assistant to Administrative Bishop, WNC Church of God State Office)
“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14b, NKJV). Second only to acting, photography is Life is often compared to seasons. Infants and young children typify spring with its freshness, new life and new beginnings. We become teenagers and young adults in life’s summer care-free years. More quickly than we can imagine, we slip into autumn, overwhelmed with responsibilities evidenced by the toll life has taken on us. Then in the midst of life’s hectic pace and overcome by a strange quietness, we find ourselves in the grip of winter. Some grope alone in an empty nest while others enjoy the final season with the soul mate chosen back in summer. This concept is understood best for those who live in climates that experience the changes seasons bring. In the South, October, in its 31-day segment, can span an entire year with its changes—beginning with warm lazy days that can make us think it is spring. Indian summer slips in and bids us put our sweaters away with a sneaky grin, “You don’t need them yet.” A canvas flips down from a bright blue October sky and the Creator paints a brilliant kaleidoscope to remind us that autumn has come. But before the month ends, old man winter can blow his cold breeze in our face. My twin Martha and I used to wish for summer and youth camp; then we wished for back-to-school and Christmas. Dad told us not to wish our life away, that when we got to be 21, it would go so fast we wouldn’t know where it went. That is so true. Approaching winter I don’t know how spring, summer and autumn slipped by so quickly. October in the South is a great month for photographers. I’ve watched God paint awesome scenery and wished He would hold that pose. But some things can’t be captured by a lens. They’re reserved for the heart’s eyes so we take mental pictures. Leaves swirl and fall to the ground in a heap of rubbish as though someone destroyed a lovely photograph but the pictures we tuck away in our hearts are there for safe keeping. Some things are more precious because they’re temporary. Many times we’ve longed to hold that pose; but once we’ve held it long enough, we grow weary of holding it and start to take it for granted. For this reason, God made our lives like a vapor—brief but incredibly special. When Jesus told His disciples of His impending death, they did not want Him to go. He explained it is for your good that I go; for if I don’t go, the Comforter won’t come (John 16:7 paraphrased). We live life, snap photos and cherish memories. It’s hard to put the camera away. We are resistant to change; goodbyes are painful; and we never really get good at letting go. If only we can grasp the courage and faith to move on, we will discover the promise of new seasons. “But we all…are being transformed…from glory to glory…” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).
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one of my favorite hobbies. I’m a photo-fanatic who watched my children grow up through the lens of a camera. As infants and toddlers, they would smile when they saw me coming. From the day they entered this world, they were programmed to pose. They understood the request to hold that pose; but my heart was saying, “Please wait a little while, don’t grow up so fast!”