“The Lord My Light!”

light in the midst of darkness
by Dona Hake

So much has changed in the world of photography, and it continues to develop and improve in the world of digital shooting. I can remember being adamant in not wanting anything to do with a digital camera. I knew nothing but film, and working in a film lab for almost ten years made it even harder for me to make the transition into the world of digital photography.   As I worked in the lab, I saw what happened to a roll of film from the time it came into the plant till it left the plant totally processed, and made into prints for our customers.

Of all the many jobs I did within the film processing plant my favorite was printing black and white film.   There was such a beauty in seeing the wonderful contrasts within each image.   Each negative had to be carefully read and studied, and I had to determine how much light to apply to the negative for the perfect print.   Light, dark, whites, grays, blacks…it all had to be perfect to create the perfect black and white image.  After printing I would take my huge roll of paper to the darkroom for processing. The paper passed from one chemical to the next, and little by little as it passed from one chemical to the next, the image became clear.   I always loved standing in the darkroom under the special lights  anticipating if I made proper judgments or not. Honestly, I am glad I had this darkroom experience because it has helped me tremendously in the realm and art of photography.

 

In this age of digital, you no longer have to wait for the darkroom experience to show you if you have made proper judgments in the realm of light.   The blessing of digital  is that you know immediately if all your settings were perfect. If you are not pleased…instantly you can hit delete and start over. You did not waste any film…you just start over.

 

I embrace the opinion that photography is all about understanding light, and how much or how little you need.   One thing for sure…in my opinion it  has to be perfect.   So let us take these things relative to photography and use them as an analogy in the realm of our spiritual walk.     As we walk daily with Him, our FOCUS needs to be on Him and Him alone.  (Oh how important it is to have perfect focus when you are shooting an image.)    Upon each situation we face, whether it be a problem that needs solved or you just need simple wisdom, the Lord has the perfect solution and direction for you.   He knows the PERFECT LIGHT we need to bring us the proper understanding to any situation. Thank God if we mess up, we can start over with His help and reach for His perfect light that will illuminate our hearts. God is the God of ultimate light that can illuminate anything we need in our world.

Psalm 18:28

“For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”

God, you are the God of perfect light, and you are the God that helps us stay focused each and everyday.   When things seem dim or our vision is blurry, we thank you that Your light is well able to lead and guide us!   We thank you for that!