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Topic: Snap (09/04/08)
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TITLE: Can I say "CHEESE" | Previous Challenge Entry
By Yolanda Lance
09/05/08 -
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“Picture time”, I could hear the thoughts of my bubbly and excited little two year old daughter as she watched me take my digital camera case off of the shelf. With excitement in her voice she said, “Mommy, can I say cheese”. With her widened eyes and big bright smile she bounced around waiting for the moment to hear me say, Ok Nay, say cheese”. Being the proud mother that I am, I willingly took my camera out of its bag and began to snap away. She tilted her head to the left and I snapped. She tilted her heard to the right and again I snapped. She gave several different posses and the camera flashed with each movement. Her poses ranged from a smile to a frown, to a kiss at the camera, from a jump, to stillness, Indian style sitting to flat on the floor, etc. With great confidence she posed, flash after flash and all I could her say was “cheese”, “cheese”, “cheese” showing her pearly whites. When the photo shoot was done and with a look of satisfaction she went on her merry way, to watch her favorite PBS shows. But me, I sat there for a minute thinking about the moment that I had just shared with my little one. I also thought about the process of picture taking. The camera person looks through the lens and snaps a picture. That whole process provoked some thoughts in me. Before the camera is snapped, the person before you, are they really who they portray in the picture? Are they truly being themselves or is the moment just an opportunity for them to say cheese? I also thought when other see me, before they take their mental snapshot, am I really what they see or perceive, or am I just posing using that opportunity to be someone and or something I am really not??? Well I know the person I strive to be and I know who God wants be. I also know how I want to be viewed by others, am I really showing and being that person in my day to day life. So right then I decided to turn the camera inward and ask my self some very poignant questions. If I were the camera man taking a picture of me, firstly what would I see and would I like what I see? I then begin to counsel and console myself, “you have lots to be proud of, your nice, your kind, you try and give your all to what to do, you’re a good mom, I went on and on. It’s really not that hard to toot your own horn. But I was soon faced with viewing the other side of me that may not be so pretty. I took a deep breathe and went on speaking to myself, “you do need to be a little, well a lot more organized, you need to be more consistent, more friendly and open to others, you need to give more time to God and there are other areas to be refined and are definitely a work in progress. The whole saying cheese business was so good for me. It reminded me not only to be pretty and appealing on the outside, but regularly look inward as well. Also remembering to take a deep long look at every area of my life, my actions, my thoughts, my conversation, my behavior, etc. It helped me to focus on me and focus on being what and who “The Father” wants me to be. At that moment I recalled the scripture passage, I Peter 1:15-17. “15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” New Living Translation. That scripture reminded me to strive to be God like and that I will be judged for actions or lack thereof. I then asked the Lord that if I am lacking in area to make me over again like the potter does with clay…….”
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Funny enough, what most disturbed me was your ending when you shifted the metaphor on to pots and clay. Would have been better if you had found some way to bring it back to cheese. Now where's my concordance ...