I don’t know about you but I cannot remember the last time I stood in a field of grain, basking in the sun’s glorious rays, lifting my hands in exaltation to God. Maybe it is just me. Do you do that a lot?
You will have to forgive me, because that is the image I’m getting from my various feeds as the proliferation of Bible Verse Photos roll through. It is either some beautiful sunflowers, majestic mountains, or the awesome sunset (bonus if reflected in water).
Recipe for Making a Bible Verse Photo
1. One (1) really cool, really encouraging verse.
2. One (1) photo (hopefully you have the rights to it).
3. Select two (2) fonts. Make sure one has boldness and flavor to it.
4. Experiment with different opacities.
5. Finish with an infusion of filters. (Add to taste).
Here’s a little something I cooked up for you. Which one do you like?
Now I baked these fast, but they’re not bad and that is the problem. These BVPs are more about beauty than meaning. By creating this image, I am seeking to communicate with you, but from this image what am I seeking to say?
Maybe you’re thinking, “By setting my worries on God, my life is like a misty morning on the prairies.” Does that make sense to you? Does that resonate as true?
But this isn’t usually what I feel like when I am faced with the choice of trusting God or worry-warting myself to death. It doesn’t take much faith nor trust to cast my anxieties on God when my setting is like the above.
How It Should Look
A few months ago I was picking up a friend’s car. He was out of the country and needed my help moving his car to a safer place. On the way, I had to make one quick stop. When I came out, I noticed someone’s car had scraped all the way down the side of my friend’s new, shiny black Honda.
ANXIETY!
Oh man, I was mad. Furious someone would hit the car and run away, I raged back to the store demanding to see video surveillance of the parking lot (they had none). I asked around if anyone had seen anything (they hadn’t). Even the police had no interest in coming and dealing with it. On the way home, I placed a very anxious call to my friend.
“Hi, how is your trip? Um… Your car has been… um… damaged.”
It is exactly these (and much much worse) types of moments that 1 Peter 5:7 speaks to. Peter is encouraging those in suffering (or perceived suffering).
I took a photo of the car and sent it to my friend. Here is one way, after running it through the recipe, I visualize 1 Peter 5:7.
Is this really a big deal?
I’m not sure, actually. Probably not a B.I.G. deal but maybe a big deal. To me it is about honest communication. One of the refreshing things about God’s Word to humanity is that it is honest. It doesn’t sugarcoat reality nor its consequences. It also doesn’t downplay the glorious solution, so yes, there are times for the biggest sunflowers, tallest mountains, and beaming rays of sunlight.
Using photos to visualize scripture is a great idea. Let’s just take a little bit more time to actually find photos that help us bring the right feelings and emotion to what is a rich and varied letter of communication to us.