Divine Delight

It's still early in the growing season. The earth seems like it has been awake just long enough to have had its morning coffee, and now it is exploding into action. I go out with my camera and actually feel a little overwhelmed. In a good way, but nevertheless, I can barely decide where to point my lens next, when to press the shutter, and where to just stop and breathe it all in.

Inhale. Exhale. Look closer.

When I do pause, I often think of God, and how he must have delighted in setting it all in motion. Sometimes I'll look at a flower and laugh at how he must have been feeling fancy, or maybe whimsical, the moment he imagined that one into being. Then I'll start pondering what it is that God actually did, and does, with regard to his creation.

The biblical account in the first two chapters of Genesis paints a breathtaking picture of God laying the foundations for life on the earth.  On days 1-3 he makes dwelling spaces for the creatures of days 4-6. He anticipates their every need, and fashions the land to meet them perfectly. He speaks to them, blesses them, and specifically invites the humans into partnership with him and each other as cultivators of life in the garden. 

The picture we see is one where humans live in harmony with the Creator, creation, and community. Abundant life and participation for all. 

Today we have a lot of scientific language to describe these processes in detail, but it can be easy to mistake describing for explaining. 

We know that horticulturists can take material from multiple plants and create new hybrids, for example, which is especially great when they take beautiful trees from other places and come up with a variety hardy enough to withstand a Minnesota winter.  (I'm looking at you, redbud and azalea!)

And then they work to nurture and care for them. Pollinators also help with this, and natural adaptations also occur--if you ask me, that's the biological reality that the literary account in Genesis is pointing to. God is the source of all the materials of this life, with all the potential for variety, and he lets us get involved. 

From where I stand, it's a combination of faith, science, and mystery, that all adds up to delight.

In this season, I'm grateful for the Eden-dwellers...

The ones who propagate, cultivate, transplant, weed, water and feed.

The artists who appreciate, capture, replicate, and transport the beauty for others to enjoy.

The children (of all ages and species) whose awe inspires laughter and reverence.

Just imagine the Creator enjoying each one's creativity and delight--and sending all of that energy out as an echo of his glory.

How sweet to enter into his Divine Delight.

Dwelling in Eden

When you look at the world, what do you see?

Photographers are known for having a "good eye". But what does that mean? Is it something you're born with? Is it something you learn? 

I've discovered that when I'm carrying a camera, I'm expecting to see beauty. It's something of a treasure hunt. Finding it comes more easily to some than to others, but we can train ourselves to look. There is much that is not beautiful to distract us, that is certain. Where will we focus our gaze? 

It's as much a mindset as a way of using our eyes or the camera--a photographer's eye is anchored in hope.

I've just finished my first ten years as the owner of a photography business. I remember my trepidation like it was yesterday. Would my offerings be worthy of payment? So many others did it so well, had so much experience, and those who would hire me had lives and stories worthy of a highly skilled professional. But here's the thing: they picked me. I will never quite get over that. And their stories live on in the photos that spark the memories. 

I have seen my photos of people on walls, on invitations, in books, on giant posters, at parties. And at funerals. I'm so grateful for the many sweet connections I've been able to capture between loved ones while there was still time. While they were still small. Before they moved on to the next chapter, or the life beyond. It all feels like a sacred trust. 

All this time, since long before I started my business, I've been developing my photography skills, including my "eye". It really helps to know what to look for, what gear and settings you need to capture it, how to position yourself, how to frame it. But before any of that matters, you have to decide what world you're going to live in.

Here's what makes the difference for me: I choose Eden. 

In the beginning of the Genesis account, God affirms the goodness and beauty of every part of his creation. His delight is palpable--he thought of everything, there is more than enough to go around! As the story moves forward, humans choose to create their own versions of what's good for them over partnership with God in the world he envisioned, but wherever he finds a willing soul, he invites them join him in cultivating new life, Eden style.

Dwelling in Eden is a conscious choice to call God's creation good--to seek out evidence of it everywhere, and nurture it to grow and multiply. For me, it's most naturally done with a camera. Here's to another ten years of looking for signs of glory, in the earth and its creatures, and the humanity that God loves. I guarantee you I will find them. My photos are my thank you notes, and my invitation to others to join me.

Consider yourself invited!

"Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

your justice like the great deep. 

O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love!

Both high and low among men 

find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house;

you give them drink from your river of delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light."

Psalm 36:5-9