Taking Pictures (without a camera)

Some people just have to take pictures on their phone or camera, they want to capture something and save it for later. But I’ve never had that luxury before. You see, I’ve never had a phone that could take pictures, I’ve always wanted one, but recently I’ve begun to wonder if it’s better to not be able to take pictures. Because I’ve never been able to take a picture when I see something cool I have begun to figure out other ways to capture the moment. I’ve learned to “take pictures” mentally, to make memories. So today, I want to talk about making memories, taking pictures, but not like a photographer would, I don’t have a physical camera, but like a person living in the moment can. We all have an incredible capacity to remember things down to the smallest detail, but we often choose to store it in the memory of our technology instead. 

The problem is that we have technology with us constantly. We don’t go anywhere without our phones so it’s very easy to not be attached to the world. And when we pull out our camera to take a picture, that picture may come out clear, but when you look back on the moment and try to remember it, your memory will be fuzzy. The technologies surrounding us blur our focus and distort the images we see. Our phones divide us between two worlds, but we were only meant to live in one.  Now, whenever we see that perfect sunrise, or experience a moment of joy, it’s almost like we have to take a picture in order to prove it happened. It pulls us out of reality and forces us to rely on something else for our happiness. We are addicted to saving things for later instead of savoring them now. So in order to solve part of this addiction, we can make our own memories without our phones.

The process of making memories is all about finding ways to get your brain to store things away forever. But you can’t make a memory if you aren’t there, so step one to taking pictures is to be in the moment. Instead of being on Instagram and checking where someone else is, check out where you are. Look for the extraordinary in your situation. And once you find it, don’t pull out your phone. It will only pull you away from whatever is happening. Some things weren’t meant to be captured, somethings we just need to soak in. So once we’ve found the extraordinary things in our life that we want to remember, and when we don’t pull out our cameras, what should we do?

The second step in taking pictures is focus. Just like focusing the lens of a camera, your brain can focus on certain things that you want to remember. Once you’ve found the moment you want to “take a picture of” focus on every detail. The sights, the sounds, the smells the emotions you feel, the people around you. Those are things that an ordinary photo can’t capture, but your brain can. I still remember the first time I ever walked across a stage. It was four years ago but I was focused on every detail of it, mostly so that I didn’t trip and fall in front of everyone. And because I was so focused in that moment on everything around me, I can remember everything about it. When we focus, we remember every detail that cameras can’t capture.

Step three, associate. We all have things that bring back memories for us, right? The sight of the beach brings back childhood memories of playing in the sand, the smell of smoke brings back memories of campfires. We like to associate certain memories with objects or images, it’s a habit, but doing it purposefully helps us remember times more clearly. Associating memories with images or objects helps us hold on to them, it also helps a lot with step four: recall.

Recall is just remembering things we already know. When we take pictures mentally, we already have that information stored away..…..somewhere. Sometimes we don’t know exactly where though. Our brains are sometimes like squirrels who don’t know where they hid a nut. We aren’t all perfect at remembering things, but practice makes our brain stronger at it. When we do this, the possibilities are limitless.

We all have great potential to remember things if we follow this process. Our memory can store 2,500,000 Gigabytes, or 300 years-worth of TV. When we lay aside the problems and focus on the process, the potential is amazing. Since our phones have replaced our memories, we have begun to lose this art of taking pictures. But we should go back to it, live in the moment more fully and hold on to things for longer, simply by not pulling out your camera. 

I finally got a phone. Yes, a phone that can take pictures. You can't believe how excited I was. But when I look at all the people who are addicted to taking pictures, who always stare at the world through their screens, it makes me sad. It makes me resolved to never become that person. I want to be able to remember things clearly, I don't want to be dependent on the memory of my phone for all my favorite moments. So now when I'm tempted to pull my phone and open the camera, I think of all the memories I will miss if I do that. And instead I dwell in the moment, focus on the details, associate it with something, and later I can recall it consistently. That's how I take pictures without a camera, you should try it. 

How could we doubt?

About 700 years before Jesus' birth, a prophecy was recorded in Isaiah about a child who would be born of a virgin and who's name would be Immanuel. From Jeremiah, the people learned that He would be a descendant of David. In Micah, we are told that He would be born in Bethlehem. Throughout the Old Testament, prophesies were written about a Messiah who would save His people and rule wisely over them. The Jews believed that. They hoped in that. In the book of  Malachi, about 400 years before the birth of Christ, it was written that a messenger was being sent. And then there was silence. For about 400 years people waited for a messenger. Waited for a Messiah. Waited for prophesies to be fulfilled. And then came Someone who fulfilled every single prophecy about the birth of the Messiah and lived a perfect life and died a painful death just like Scripture said He would. How could we doubt that Jesus Christ is our Messiah?

In a small town that hadn't ever been mentioned in the Old Testament, Nazareth, an angel appeared to a 15 or 16 year old girl and told her not to be frightened. He told her that she would bear a Son and His name would be Jesus. This girl was naturally shocked and confused. Her name was Mary, and the Bible tells us that she had found favor with God. She was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, so how could she have a child? She was surprised because this, to say the least, was not normal. So when she bore a son, there is absolutely no question that this child was the Son of God. If His father had been Joseph then Jesus would not have been God incarnate, He would have only been man. And if He was only man, then He could not save. And if He could not save, then our faith is a hoax. And if our faith is a hoax, then we are hopeless. But His father was God. Jesus was miraculously born of the virgin Mary. Fully God and fully man. Looking at all the strange and intricate details of His birth, how could we doubt Jesus was the Son of God?

A choir of angels heralded His birth, bringing good news of great joy to all people. Shepherds left their sheep and came to worship their Lord. After His birth, wise men brought gifts from afar. Jesus Christ humbled Himself to be born in a manger.  He was protected from the king who decreed that He be killed for simply being born. He was born to fulfill a promise and save us from ourselves. For the first time, humanity held God in our hands. The Sovereign king of all was born in the night in a small town to a young girl. Born because man had turned their back on God, but God hadn't forsaken man. The Giver of light entered the world like any other child, the savior the world was held in Mary's arms. God gave His own Son to save us. How could we doubt that we are loved?

Romans tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It also tells us that the wages of sin is death. We know that God is just and therefore cannot tolerate sin. But we also know that He is loving and merciful. So He sent His only Son to die for our sins. Fully God, Jesus lived a perfect life doing God's work on earth. Fully man, Jesus struggled through temptations of the flesh but never once sinned and then He bore the punishment for our sin. 1st Timothy says, "For there is one mediator between God and man, that man Jesus Christ." He is the only mediator for us because He was the only Son of God and son of man. Because Jesus lived perfectly and then took our punishment on His shoulders, how could we doubt that our every sin has been forgiven?

2,000 years after His birth, families gather together, united because of Christ whether they acknowledge it or not. Every year, we celebrate the fact that we don't have to doubt. Christmas is about the certainty and confidence we have in Him. It's about the hope He gave us on that night in Bethlehem. It's about His unconditional love for us. Now we wait for His second coming, when He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more pain. We don't have to wait in sorrow and despair, rather we know that God fulfills His promises, loves His people, and will return to take us home. So we wait with joy and excitement. Since God sent His own Son to earth for us, how could we doubt that there is hope?

My favorite Christmas song: Who would have dreamed. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LbzC0pii-s

Wearing a mask

Run. Hide. Disguise. 

People don't like pain. We all know that. And we often believe that we cannot let others see our pain. We think they will abandon us, hurt us, or change the way they treat us. We fear that. So we run away from our pain because we don't want to deal with it and we don't want others to have to deal with it.

Mask. Obscure. Suppress.

We tell ourselves that we are loved because of the person we appear to be, not the person we truly are. When we are out in public or speaking to others we stay happy and bright. We wear a smile when we don't feel like it and keep our burdens to ourselves. When the pain starts to surface we suppress it. We build ourselves a castle out of emotional walls, and then those walls become our prison.

Lie. Cover. Bury.

Everyday we get up and we shoulder our pain like a backpack and we carry it with us everywhere we go. It gets heavy, but we don't let others see it. When people ask how we're doing we grin and say fine, how are you. We make friends and we let them into our lives, but we don't want them getting too close. The people who know us best have an idea that we are struggling, but everyone is struggling so they don't think anything of it.

This probably isn't you, but maybe it is.

I don't know you, I don't know your story, and I don't know if you are masking your pain. If you are, I don't know what it is. I'm not accusing you of anything and I'm not suggesting that you are hiding yourself from everyone. I don't know you. But I know me. And I know someone is out there somewhere who is believing they must do all those things: run, hide, disguise, mask, obscure, suppress, lie, cover, and bury their pain. If you do this then I cannot tell you to stop, that would be hypocritical of me. I can however tell you that you shouldn't shut everyone out because it hurts. People care about you and they won't run away if you let them get close. I know that pain hurts, but I've also discovered that you can't have joy without sorrow, you can't appreciate light without darkness, you don't know what freedom is until you have been chained. And if you let people in, if you be who you truly are and get rid of the mask then you will know true joy, light, and freedom. You will be happier and more real. You will appreciate that and people around you will appreciate that.

Like I said though, I don't know you so I can't assume anything about you and I am definitely not accusing you of doing this. I can only write in the hope that I can help someone somewhere escape their pain. I can only write about things I struggle with and am thinking about and want others to avoid. And if this isn't you, if you have no idea what I'm talking about when I mention wearing a mask, than that is great and I have a mission for you this holiday season. Behind every mask there is a face. Behind each face there is a story. Get to know someone's story. Break down the walls of the prison that they are keeping themselves in, ask them how they are doing and if you don't think the answer is honest, get to know them until you are confident that they aren't hiding their pain. They will thank you. Love has a powerful way of removing disguises and pain, so help someone out by getting to know who they truly are.

I do, however, want to add that not all masks are bad and some are even necessary. Almost everyone is wearing a mask at some point, we have to fill many different roles and they aren't always natural, so we fake it till we make it. Pretending to be happy sometimes is a necessity. But don't use that as an excuse to never reveal who you truly are. You should let people in from time to time.

Masks are a great thing to have in theatre, they make people become something they aren't for the sake of entertainment. When used every day though, the person becomes just an actor and the world becomes just an audience, watching but not truly seeing the person underneath. So the actor struggles alone and the world doesn't step in to help because they only see the act, not the struggling person. People dealing with pain would struggle less if they would accept help from the people put in their lives to help them. You need to let your walls down, drop your burden, and lower the mask that you use to disguise your pain. Unfortunately it would be hypocritical of me to tell you to stop wearing a mask and hiding your pain because I know how easy it is to hide. But I will tell you that you should open up and be honest with some people. Let others into your life and stop hiding, then you will know what it is to be joyful, light, and free.

But if you don't know what I'm talking about, if you have people who truly know you, and if you are open and honest with at least some people, then you can help spread joy. You can set people free by loving them and getting them to tell you their stories. Show them that they don't need to hide their pain. Because as much as we believe it's a necessity, we don't need to and we shouldn't wear a mask.

His masterpeice

God created the world and then created people in His image to do His work on earth.

You are loved. You are enough.

We sinned against Him and yet He sent His only Son to die for us.

You are loved. You are enough.

He knew you and designed you before the world began knowing exactly where you would be born and the struggles you would go through.

You are loved. You are enough.

He knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

You are loved. You are enough.

He put people in your life who love you and who you can love who will challenge you and inspire you.

You are loved. You are enough.

Every word you speak and every move you make is changing lives around you, you are changing the world in your own way.

You are loved. You are enough.

You are a star, you are amazing, you are inspirational, you are a friend and you are perfectly imperfect.

You are loved. You are enough.

You are not a burden. You are not needy. You are easy to love and friendship with you is exciting and fun.

You are loved. You are enough. 

Your mistakes don't define who you are, God does and you are His child. Everything in your life is there to make you even more awesome then you already are.

You are loved. You are enough.

No matter how difficult life is, God will never leave you or forsake you. You are His creation and He loves you. Never argue with that fact. Never minimize it. Never deny it.

You are loved. You are enough. 

When difficulty hits you from all sides and you are struggling, God is your refuge and your strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

You are loved. You are enough

The world needs you to be you, because you are real and genuine and you will change lives. Never hide who you are, don't let your mistakes mask the way you view yourself.

You are loved. You are enough.

People love being around you because you are kind, caring, and considerate. Love with everything you have and live life to its fullest.

You are loved. You are enough.

Don't compare yourself to others because you are unique and you are special. You could never live under anyone else's shadow because you shine brighter then a star and you are your own amazing person.

You are loved. You are enough.

God loved you enough to send His Son to die for you. God adopted you and calls you His and nothing will ever be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You are loved. You are enough.

Jesus Christ, perfect and holy, set aside His glory to come to earth, was born in a humble manger, lived among sinful men, and died a painful death, and He did it for you.

You are loved. You are enough.

No good works and no mistakes could ever change how you are seen be God. You are His child. Your identity is in Him.

You are His masterpiece.

Now live like it. And never forget that you are loved and you are enough.

Fifteen things I learned

It was a good year. But mostly, it was a year of changes, new things, and learning life lessons. Fifteen is an interesting age that brings a lot of challenges, but if you stick with it, you'll make it through. Reflecting on this year I wanted to make a list of fifteen things I learned being fifteen, and I know that's a pretty generic thing to do on your birthday, but honestly if you could learn these things sooner than I did your life will be awesome.

#1. I love people
I'm an introvert, you guys know that, but I really used to never be around people. But I've come to realize that being around others teaches me so much and fills me with happiness. Some of my best moments are with other people. People are amazing and inspiring and loving. And I've come to rely on that. Now, I love being with people. I've made so many friends in the last year, and I can honestly say that they have impacted and changed my life in so many ways. They are encouraging and loving and supporting without even knowing that I need them to be that way. It's awesome. And I can never do for others what people have done for me, but I want to spend the rest of my life trying.

#2. I love to write
I've written more this year than ever before. And the more I write, the more I realize how much I love it. Words hold so much meaning, and to be able to put them in such a way that conveys the message you want to communicate, there's magic in that for me. It gives me joy to phrase things the right way, to pour my thoughts out and see a page fill up. For the rest of my life I never want to stop writing and sharing those words with others.

#3. About hope
I've learned so much about hope. If I had to pick out a theme for the fifteenth year of my life it would definitely be hope. Over and over it inserted itself into my life, I didn't even realize the trend until about a month ago looking back at all I had been doing. Through papers, speeches, blog posts, emails, and discussions, that word kept popping up telling me what it was and how desperately I needed it. Some of those things I wrote in a post on hope, some I will simply remember forever. Hope has been my theme.

#4. I never want to stop learning
I have been a schoolaholic for the last year (yes, that's now a word) Honestly I've done so much school work for high-school and college credits. I used to think that school was boring and unnecessary. But I've begun to realize that I love it. I never want to stop learning about stuff, I want to take college courses and read deep books and research difficult questions for the rest of my life.

#5. Breathing is a necessity
Life gets stressful. It becomes overwhelming. And it makes it difficult to breathe. Especially when you realize all the things you have to do in a very little amount of time. But when that happens and life gets busy, you have to breathe. I never appreciated how difficult or necessary it was to breathe in some situations until this year.


#6. Peace is a mindset
When I focus on all those things that stress me out or I take on too much responsibility then its almost impossible to experience peace. But if I have all that going on and I focus on the fact that God has control and His plans for me are to prosper me not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future, then I can have peace. God can give us peace that surpasses all understanding, it comes with a mindset of trusting His strength and His plans for our life.

#7. To deal with responsibility
I've always been afraid of growing older, simply because it means more responsibility, more things that could go wrong, so many ways that a single decision could mess up my life. But I've become better at handling big responsibilities. I've had to be responsible for kids that come into the gym, I have to be able to keep them safe and if they get hurt, its my fault. I've been responsible for driving the car and not hurting anyone. I've been responsible for meeting deadlines and getting good grades and most of the time I haven't failed. Dealing with responsibility takes practice, and I've had to practice it a lot this year.

#8. Chocolate is a lifesaver
Where would we be without chocolate? It reminds us life is still sweet even when it looks sour. I couldn't have made it through my 15th year without it.

#9. Some music isn't actually that bad
I used to never listen to music. Ever. But this last year I was introduced to some songs and some singers and I started listening to music more. Now, I actually enjoy it.

#10. Difficulty hits everyone
Everyone goes through trials and hard times. But it's very easy to forget that. It's easy to just focus on how I'm feeling, what I'm going through. As I've been getting to know a lot of people in different situations, I've come to realize that others need encouragement at times. I've begun to ask how people's day was and try to get an honest answer. Instead of just focusing on me, realizing that difficulty hits everyone has made me try to spread hope more often.

#11. One choice makes a difference
I read and heard of a lot of stories about people who just needed one person to talk to them, say hi to them, or smile at them, to lift their spirits and brighten their day. Looking at that, I began to realize that one choice really can make a difference on someone's day, week, or life. I wrote a post about that too because I think we need use our choices more wisely and impact people around us.

#12. People are watching
My parents always would tell me that people were watching my behavior, most often that was when I was misbehaving and they needed me to stop. So I grew up hearing that, but I never really believed it. Recently though people have begun saying that they have seen me and taken notice of me and some of the things I do. And to emphasize that in my life, I wrote about it a lot, because I need a constant reminder to be respectable, to be a role model. It's a kinda scary thought, but it's motivating too. People are watching me, and I want to be someone worth watching.

#13. To remember
Goodbyes are hard. Ending good times is painful. Missing a place and people and happiness is part of life. But we can keep those memories with us. I've begun to realize what really needs to be remembered, the little things that make me happy, the friends and the good times I've spent with them. We can't just take those things for granted, we have to hold on to them, value them, and remember them forever. I wrote a post about petrichor at a time when I was regretting that I hadn't remembered some times better. It's so important to remember, and that's one of the lessons I've learned in this last year.


#14. To let go
Some things we can't hold onto forever. I had to let go of the sport that meant the world to me. I had to let go of the dreams that came with it. I had to let go of the dreams of having lots of free time each day. I had to let go of memories of my past mistakes. I had to let go of grudges against people. While it's important to remember things, some things chain us to the past and won't let us move on. That's when we need to let go. And I had to learn that if I was going to continue some friendships I had to let go of grudges. If I was going to pursue new dreams, I had to let go of the old ones. If I wanted to make progress, I had to let go of the mistakes that kept me down. I learned to let go.


#15. It's the courage to continue that counts
The world can pelt us with difficulties, it can shower good times upon us, but through it all we must persevere. Pressure builds diamonds. There's a quote that says, "An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward, so when life is dragging you back with difficulties it means that it is going to launch you into something great. So just focus and aiming.” It takes courage to continue aiming. Courage to continue fighting through trials. Courage to breathe when the temptation is to panic. Courage to forgive when hate is easier. Courage to make the right choice and change lives. That courage is what matters. Not the success I've had in this last years. Not the failures that held me back. I learned the importance of courage. I had the courage to continue.


Now I'm sixteen. The journey isn't over. I have learned a lot, but there is so much more to learn. But I step into this new year trusting the plans God has for me and looking forward to what He will teach me. I want to make an impact this year, use every moment I have for good, and encourage people around me.