Fear, generational divides, and change are on my mind today through a particular image. The image is that of a snapshot, a still photo, a picture that decorates most of our refrigerators doors, some wall somewhere in our homes, or some video that is stored on our laptop. All of us are mental photo-takers, capturers of images. We take mental and emotional snapshots or capture a spiritual video image in life of meaningful moments, people we love, epochs, times, and events. We then live by these images. We reference our ‘mental and spiritual image inventory’ all the time as we make everyday decisions. We say to ourselves, ‘This is the way it ought to be.’ The good part of being a photo-taker is that these snapshots become reference points, reminders of good things, expressions of how we think and feel about a time in our life. Who doesn’t like to look at a photo album or review a video. This explains the rediculus popularity of YouTube.
The problem with a snapshot/video is that things change, don’t they? We get older, styles change, time passes, things don’t stay fixed, places and people come and go. The danger is that we fail to continue taking snapshots, photos of new people, places, experiences, and things. This happens in churches. For example, we grow up in a church or join a church that has great meaning in our life at the time. But as times passes we fail to take new snapshots and we continue to live by the old snapshots of church life that no longer reflect reality. This is not just true in the church; it’s true of every area of life, i.e. business, school, family, etc.
Again, the good in taking snapshots and capturing video images is that such images reflect a time that was meaningful to us, moments that God used to shape us, and that now form a part of who we are as a person. This is the best of what it means to take a snapshot to store a mental video image of life.
However, the fear of taking new snapshots or capturing new video images of life – of living new experiences, of finding new places, of meeting new people, of seeking new adventures – keeps us from living in the present and planning for the future, while yearning for a past age, a time long ago that will never be recaptured. We become stuck in a time that no longer exists.
Again, in the church, this plays itself out generationally when someone will say, ‘The way it should be done was the way we did it in the 50’s (just add your age or era).’ To that person the snapshot of that meaningful time is IT! The conflict comes when differing people start bringing their pictures and videos to the party saying, ‘This is the way it ought to be.’ Differing snapshots and video images potentially produce conflict.
What are we to do? We should thank God for the snapshots and video images of life, those meaningful moments that have shaped our life. We should appreciate the photo albums and the video images others bring to life. But we must also continue to take photos and capture video images of new experiences, people, places, and events, understanding that God is still at work in this era just as He was in past ages.
You might ask, ‘But does anything stay fixed? Is there any one snapshot or video image that remains by which I can live life? Is there one meaningful moment that supercedes all other moments? Is there a fixed photo or a timeless video image of the way things should be?’ Yes! We change, we age, we die, governments change, politics morph, but the snapshot, the continuing and living images of the life of Jesus, His cross, His resurrection, and His continuing revelation of Himself in His Word never change (Heb. 13:8). So, take out your camera or turn on your cell phone camera, make a place in your heart for a new photo/video album, and start taking snapshots of new people, new places, new experiences, and new images of life knowing that Jesus Christ alone never changes. Don’t be afraid to ’snap away.’ He’s the frame of reference in which we post our old and new photos/videos of life.
