Questions for Reflection

10/26/12 Having a daughter who is a professional photographer, I have watched her capture reflections of love, growth, birth and change in all of her “baby’s first year” family portfolios. She beautifully captures those inner reflections of a wide range of emotions.

She has even shown me how one can use reflection to enhance or enrich a picture. I have even tried to capture such reflections as we have traveled. 

Oklahoma City 2012

She can use reflected light or capture diffused light with a filter to show amazing effects and beautiful images. For her, photography is all about lighting. She is always checking her lighting source. She even has meters that read the intensity or degree of the lighting. I’m probably using the wrong terms, but you get the idea of the importance of light and reflection in pictures.

Amateur that I am with a camera, even I, have come to realize that surfaces seem to reflect light more clearly when a surface is completely smooth. To me all this seems to bear a resemblance to a Christian’s reflection of the “light” within them. If I have anxiety in my life or am striving for self- promotion or bearing a fruit of impatience, there’s not smoothness of spirit to reflect that inner light. It will be distorted----full of ripples and waves. Sometimes blurred beyond recognition. Source of light not truly visible.

If one's life is in turmoil from trying to control life himself and do things in his own strength, won't the reflection be wavy and distorted? 

If one's light source is Christ and yet that light is not visible, how can one truly reflect Him and His character?

Living a light-filled worthy life, one submitted to God, will bring about the "smoothness" that comes even with life's bumps and enable us to reflect the Spirit within, as Paul reminds us in the fourth chapter of Ephesians.

 “Live a life worthy….with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
 bearing with one another through love,
 striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
 through the bond of peace; (Ephesians 4: 1b-3)

Have you seen this worthy life in others? Do you reflect this yourself?

FAMILY RESEMBLANCE

(Circa 1964 or '65)

 4/28/12 As children of the Clifton “Brud” Adams family, people often commented that though we (my brothers and I) looked like family, & yet individually, none of us really resembled either of our parents. 

When we got together with our spouses this weekend, it was still pretty obvious that we are indeed related---more because of our idiosyncratic behavior than physical appearance. Just ask our spouses!

How fun to get together with kin---to reminiscence and celebrate family. In particular, for us, the key is acceptance. Warts and all----we are family. That’s why is was so fun to get together this weekend and go see “The Addams Family” (“snap, snap”) at the Orpheum.

As the lyrics of the opening melody rang out

You're obligated to the clan

It's family first and family last

And family by and by

When you're an Addams

The standard answers don't apply

When you're an Addams

You do what Addams do for us (Adams) that would be laugh and EAT!)

In same positions as sibling portrait---my how the "baby" has grown.

As Christians, we bear the name of Christ though certainly all of us “look” very different. It’s our actions, attitudes and even mannerisms that reflect that spiritual parentage. Do we act like our heavenly Father?

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love….(Ephesians 5:1-5)

My brothers and I certainly bear an earthly family resemblance in our actions. So much of what we say and do is a reflection of our “upbringing.” May our lives continue to reflect the parentage of our heavenly Father as well.