By trade, I’m the graphic designer for my church. I recently received some old photos of our pastors and I was asked to prepare them for viewing on the big screen in our auditorium. As a designer, I am not only bound by the responsibilities of my position at the church, but I am personally compelled to fix any images that are submitted to me prior to presenting them for public viewing.
One baby picture I received today was old, worn, and cracked. There were spots on it that had appeared over time. This photo wasn’t for anything official. It was just for a Christmas game. This was definitely not a priority project, so I could have used the photo just as it was. Still, I didn’t feel I could personally come to terms with putting it out there looking the way it did. I HAD to fix it.
Opening Photoshop, I clicked on the “healing tool” and began my restorative work on the image. The healing brush allows you correct imperfections in your image. It does an excellent job of matching together all of the relevant shades and textures to keep your fixes as seamless as possible. Then, it hit me. God is our ultimate airbrusher!
God sees our lives with all of the deep cracks that are a result of that pain we have endured in life. He also sees our minds, spotted over time, by the things people have told us about who we are and the things we believed to be true. We sometimes feel worn and torn, just like that old photo. But God not only WANTS to heal us, He is compelled by His very nature…by His immense love for us…to get out His mighty “healing brush” and restore to us when we present ourselves to Him.
I’m just so thankful for all He has done in me. With a little touch-up here and a little touch-up there, He has truly made me a new creature. And now I’m beautifully restored and made presentable for all to see by my Master Designer.
It’s in these funny little places that I most enjoy finding God. 🙂
220 Gal 