(15) If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. (16) And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in Love lives in God, and God in him. (17) In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (18) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
More is involved in true love than feelings. When we consistently maintain an attitude of giving ourselves for others, we exemplify true love. Even though we make mistakes, true love and true beauty can be ours. For example, the photograph at the bottom of this page is the result of a mistake I made recently. However, I see great beauty when I gaze upon it. Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's true. You may not see an object of beauty when you look at the photo, but I truly want you to take a moment to ponder this photo and tell me what is your interpretation of the photo. Sit back in your chair and study it. What is your perception of the image? Things aren't always as they appear to be, but if we look at something with an open mind, the possibilities are without limit.
There is more to this story than close examination of the photo. When you look back on the realities of your life and don't see beauty, I want you to remember God sees beauty in your life; past, present and future. It takes shadow and light to make a beautiful image. Just because your life may contain dark shadows, that doesn't mean beauty isn't present. Look at your life with a fresh perspective and find the beauty among the shadows.
After I have received several comments from readers regarding personal interpretation of the image I will tell you the rest of the story.
Shadow and Light
By: Nan Forehand
it takes light to bring out a shadow
a shadow isn't visible in darkness
in darkness -- one feels all alone
all alone, searching for the Light
the Light is always within reach
within reach, is the Light of God's love
God's love illuminates the darkness
the darkness of sin consumes the soul
the soul longs to be drenched in Light
in light or darkness, God is always there
always there in shadow and light
II Samuel 2:29
You are my lamp oh Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.
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In the photo, I see a sunset, but it appears that it may be the sunset of life. The bright light is from the Savior as He leads one into heaven, leaving the earthly life behind. The photo leaves one's mind to imagine what Heaven must be like on the other side and what it will be like to walk through that sunset to meet our Heavenly Father.
ReplyDeleteNan, today's message along with the photo and poem are incredibly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI think this (mistake) is the photographic representation of the path a Christian takes during life. What I see in the photo is the way I take towards the Lord. In the foreground, on the right and left are dark pits of sin into which I could fall into or stray off the path if I don't focus on the pure light ahead of God's Love. Although the path appears wider, there are deceptively dark shadows on either side. About a 1/4 of the way along the "path" there is a luminescent shadowy orange line - this might be where the evil one meets me as a believer, trying to convince me to stray off the path I am following, because after that point, the path becomes lighter. About mid-point (on the horizon) there is a line - somewhat lighter in the middle - surrounded on either side by soft darker colors. I believe this is where the Lord meets us between earthly and heavenly life - it's the gateway to heaven. Or it's where the Lord meets me there in times of great crisis. I can't see this line if I'm too close to the photo (just like when I'm in the middle of problems), but when I move back, it becomes clearer. It's as if I know the line (dying or coming out of a crisis) is there, but don't totally understand when I'm before it or in the middle of a crisis or when I will be close to death. The purer color in the background is total trust/love in the Lord or being with Him in heaven after crossing the bridge from life to death, or coming out of a crisis with new understanding that I didn't have before.