It Is All About God.

What do you see first in this photograph?

Was it the starbust sun in the background? Maybe you saw the clouds with the highlights on the right and shadows on the left. Or the flags. If the flags, which stood out immediately? Did your eye run by all those images and settle on the fishing boats and bank of fishing rods?

I’d be surprised if your mind registered the people first. You may even have to go back to find them. Even though they are probably the closest objects to you, they are almost hidden in the darkness.

Every time I look at this photo, I see the sun first, followed by clouds, then flags, and finally the boats and fishing rods. Almost every time, I have to make myself see the people.

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This week’s photo prompted me to remember something Dietrich Bonhoeffer mentioned in his book, The Cost of Discipleship. I resisted the urge to bring it up, because I wanted my post to be original and I’ve gone to him a couple of times recently. But then I thought, that’s counter to what I’m hoping to share.

When you find yourself in need of hope, that’s precisely the time to stop trying to be original.

Every post I produce should point to Christ. The last thing you need to hear is what I would consider an original thought from me. You should first hear from God. I share God through His Word. I enjoy using my photography to plant an image that may help you think about what He is telling us. And better than that is sharing what I learn from others.

Bonhoeffer points out in his chapter called The Hidden Righteousness, that there is a paradox in our discipleship. On one hand, Matthew chapter 5 tells us to be highly visible in our work.

“Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NASB)

At the same time, we are to hide the visibility of our discipleship.

“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1, NASB)

I love the way Bonhoeffer explains the seeming contradiction. “The first question to ask is: From whom are we to hide the visibility of our discipleship? Certainly not from other men, for we are told to let them see our light. No. We are to hide it from ourselves.¹

My hope is in Jesus alone. Nothing else. Not my upbringing, education, work experience, desires, goals—nope, none of it. Clearly, Jesus tells us to let our light shine so “they will see your good works, and glorify the Father”. At the same time, He tells us, “take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them”.

Pretty clear isn’t it? It has to be about God.

I’m reminded of this when I have to search for the people in the photograph. They represent works we do for the Lord. They blend into the background. The setting sun, which gets my attention first, represents the Lord. He gets the attention.

I know I’m getting long in this post, but I want to share an experience with my writing friends that maybe others can use. As I drove to a writing conference a couple of years ago, I practiced my elevator pitch for the book I’d just completed. I repeated the opening phrase, “My book is about a man who…”, and then went on through my pitch. After about ten times, I believe God impressed on my heart the following. “The book is not about the man, it is about Me.”

I had to drive the next few miles through tears. I hope I never forget everything is about Him.

What about you? How does God remind you of His place in your life?

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.

¹Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: TOUCHSTONE, 1959), 158.