Perspective

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I apologize for the formatting of this post.  For some reason my theme isn’t liking so many pictures in one post.  I am finally going to admit I can’t make it look perfect.  Perhaps there’s a theme here…

This week’s project at Wrapped Emotions was all about perspective. We were to go to a public place and look at things from a vantage point that we don’t usually use. We were told to take at least one picture while lying flat on our backs and looking straight up.

I must admit. I felt really self conscious this morning. I took my son to the park adjacent to our library, and I cringed when I saw another mom there with her child. How was I going to look, laying on the ground snapping pictures? What was she going to think of me?

I didn’t have a lot of time, so waiting for this woman and her child to leave was not an option. I swallowed my pride, took out my camera, lay on the ground, and started snapping away. I began to realize some important things as I continued taking pictures.

First I took pictures of the library. Our new library was finished early this year. It’s big, ornate, and shiny. The outside is polished and clean. Our library is also devoid of people. The county libraries closed this spring because of budget cuts. So our big, new, ornate library stands empty, except for the books it holds. There is lots of knowledge in the library, but it isn’t being used.As I was taking these first pictures, I was uncomfortable. I was worried about the way I looked. I wanted to look polished and put together, and there I was, laying on the sidewalk with my camera.

As I got more comfortable, I began snapping pictures of the playground.

The equipment is old and faded. The plastic is scratched. Yet it is full of life. Kids feel free to climb the equipment, to enjoy themselves. They run, jump, laugh and play. Kids are completely at ease playing here.I began to compare my life to these two places, the library and the playground. Which one am I like? Am I like the library, looking good on the outside, yet full of knowledge that isn’t used on the inside? Do I have an air about me that says I am closed? Do I share myself with other people, or do I shut myself off from the world and keep my feelings to myself?

Or am I like the playground, worn and faded on the outside, yet able to fully put people at ease? Do I make people comfortable?

As a Christian, I need to show God’s love to those around me. Looks don’t matter. It’s what’s inside that counts. I can know the facts of the Bible and salvation, yet they are worthless if I’m not sharing God’s love with others.

Too often I get caught up with my outside appearance. I’m self-conscious about how I look and what I say. I long to be like the playground. Not worried about the dings and scratches in my life, but focused on letting those around me know that they are loved, appreciated, and most of all wanted in my life.

You can see all of the photos for this project on my Flickr page.

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