You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." --Psalm 19:1

Have you ever noticed when you wear sunglasses you can sometimes see luminous colors in the clouds?  While running errands a few days ago, I noticed the iridescent colors.  I had my sunglasses on.  If only I could capture what I was seeing!  I then decided to do an experiment and put my sunglasses 'on' my camera's lens.  The shots using the sunglasses were pinkish and somewhat blown-out and not what I expected, but I did take one shot without using the sunglasses.  After all, it was an experiment, right?  I was amazed at what the camera itself was able to capture and reveal beyond what the naked eye could see, even beyond what I was seeing through my sunglasses.  Wow...

Y’know, life is kind of like that, too, isn’t it?   I mean, depending on how we view things, our worldview or political persuasion for example, the ‘lens’ we use will determine what we see.  A meteorologist might look at this picture and simply see what types of clouds they are and foretell the weather, while an artist or photographer might look at it and notice the composition, colors, and ‘movement’.   A creationist might look at this picture and see the intelligence, creativity and handiwork of God, while an evolutionist might see only a natural phenomenon and perhaps even global warming.  1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”  What do you see?

On the flip side, have you ever seen something that wasn’t there?  Have you seen togetherness and perceived rejection?  Have you ever seen laughter and thought people were laughing at you?  Or how about conspiracy?  What do you see?  Which lens are you using?  The lens of insecurity and self-focus or of wisdom, discernment, and love?

Then, there are those things that are beyond our scope of vision... invisible, unseen things.  1 Corinthians 2:9 says, "But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."  Wow!  Considering all the beautiful, amazing, magnificent things we have seen, whether through God’s creation or even through man’s imagination like in the movie Avatar, God is basically saying, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

I See You

“To be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known...”

--Chris Kinsley and Drew Francis

Who turns their own face into an Avatar?  A nerd?  A geek?  A sci-fi fanatic?  Or perhaps just another narcissist on the internet.  Well, being a photographer and a Photoshop fan, when I first saw the movie poster for Avatar, I couldn’t help but notice the eyes.  Eyes can say so much, can’t they?  Although my eyes in the picture above have been manipulated, they are still my eyes.  What do you see?  Do you see a nerd, a geek, or a scif-fi fanatic?  Or do you see more?  Do you see... me? 

I was deeply touched by Chris Kinsley’s and Drew Francis’ monologue called The Woman at the Well, a soliloquy based on the Samaritan woman whose life was changed by her encounter with Jesus.  In it the girl said, “To be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known...”  When the Na’vi in Avatar greet one another with “I see you”, it is more than a greeting... it is an acknowledgment... a knowing.... an understanding.  The Bible says that we love God because He first loved us.  He knows us and has made the effort to make Himself known. [Warning:  If you haven’t yet seen the movie, you might want to skip down to the next paragraph, because this post contains a spoiler.]  At the end of the movie, Jake’s avatar body went limp, because the colonel had damaged his pod inside the science station.  Neytiri assessed the situation and desperately searched the station for the real Jake.  When she found him, she immediately knew it was him even though she had never seen his true physical form and even though he was unconscious.  She knew he was her Jake.  *sniff*  She could see him.

Earlier today, a young friend and I shared a brief exchange on Facebook.  He’s a witty young man, but he argued that I was funnier.  He’s wrong.  You’re wrong, Jesse.  I’m really not funny.  I wish I was, although I have had that occasional moment in which I’ve made someone laugh.  It’s a nice feeling.  I mean, who doesn’t like to laugh... well, except maybe someone with a broken rib.  Anyway, our exchange reminded me of one of my favorite quotes.  George Bernard Shaw said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”  I guess transforming my face into a Na’vi is one of the ways I play.  Even though I’m nearing the crest of life’s hill, I’d like to think I’m still young at heart.  Can you see that in my eyes?  Can you see me?