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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 17, 2008 IN OUR PATH |
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Frontline Devotion for Thursday, January 17, 2008 by
Pastor Dave Sonnenberg
Reprinted from January 2, 2004
Digital has taken over! Five years ago I bought a digital camera at Circuit City. At the time, there were two cameras in the store- not a huge selection. Walk into Best Buy or Circuit City today and you will likely see 40-50 cameras to pick from.
Digital cameras represented a major change for me. Prior to that time, I rarely took any photos because I didn't think I was a good photographer. I wasn't confident that I could frame a good picture, get it in focus, and have it come out looking nice. Plus, I didn't want to waste money on a bunch of fuzzy pictures. (All my pictures ended up being fuzzy!) The digital camera has changed this. With a digital, all I have to do is point and click. A picture instantly appears on the back of the camera viewfinder. If you like it, you keep it. If you don't, you can delete it on the spot.
Basically, I have thousands of pictures from the last several years. I have taken some really lousy ones. I have caught my children turning their heads as I tried to take a picture. I have made people look like deer in high beams as their eyes are laser red. But, in the midst of some bad pictures, I have also captured some wonderful images - mainly because I've kept on shooting photos without worrying about them being perfect. I know with confidence that I can just keep on taking pictures because perfection isn't necessary. I try to take the best pictures possible, but I'm not paralyzed and unable to act now.
Where am I going with all of this? As we seek to live as faithful Christians in this world, many people are scared to dig deeper because they feel inadequate. Some are afraid to read the Bible because "they don't feel capable" or they "don't understand". Some are afraid to grow in their prayer life because they feel their current prayers are not good enough. Some will start doing devotions for a while or journal and then fall behind for a week and feel guilty and thus, not start again. In all these examples, I hear people feeling they need to be perfect in order to live a spiritual life. What would happen, if we moved to a more "digital" mindset? Maybe we'd recognize that God is the only one who is perfect and we are simply called to keep plugging away- keep praying, journaling, worshipping, serving, growing in Bible study, etc. We will do well at times and take a step back at times. Our lives will seem crystal clear at times and fuzzy in the next moments. Still, as we recognize that we are daily connected to God, then we can move forward in confidence - not worrying about being utterly perfect but rather, being faithful.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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