Sensitivity
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2, ESV)
The photo that accompanies this post today strikes me as beautiful not because of the perfection of the wildflowers themselves but rather their imperfection made beautiful by the light that is cast upon them. In themselves they are somewhat wilted and a bit beat up by the Summer heat but in the right light they are made attractive in their own way. In photography it is important for the photographer behind the lens to understand the importance of the light and the effect that this might have on the subject. One thing I have noticed in my journey to understand light and shadow in the art of imaging is the fact that the camera sensor is far more sensitive to the subtleties of light than my own eyes. Even when I don’t think that there is light being cast on a subject I need to understand where the source of light is coming from and trust the histogram display that is showing me when things are right and the shot can be taken.
On my mind today as I have thought about this photo and how it demonstrates light sensitivity brought to my mind the fact that our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our lives can be developed and strengthened over time. We become more discerning to His will and more sensitive to what is good and acceptable and perfect by purposeful living to take a different path than the pattern of this world. Instead of conformance we have transformance by the renewal of our mind. In context, this verse follows the command to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God as an act of worship. The end result of this testing is the ever increasing discernment of the will of God. In other words, to go back to the camera analogy, we become more light sensitive to not only be able to discern it well but to trust the source of the light and abide by the clear signals that are being shown to us by Him. I see the study of God’s Word and deeper understanding of it is a type of “histogram” that guides us to be able to see when the light is in the right place on our heart.
Remember today to not dwell on your own imperfections but to simply place yourself in the light of our Lord and Savior and allow him to transform you by the renewing of your mind. Let His beauty become your beauty because you are simply reflecting the light He is casting into your life.
