The Holy Spirit changes our perspective of life.

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“However, when God our Savior made his kindness and love for humanity appear, he saved us, but not because of anything we had done to gain his approval. Instead, because of his mercy he saved us through the washing in which the Holy Spirit gives us new birth and renewal.”
Titus 3:4-5 God’s Word to the Nations

Not surprisingly, it brings a great deal of joy to my grandpa heart when I see my grandsons, Eli and Nolan, taking an interest in photography. Some of you have seen Eli’s work on Facebook. He’s even entering a photography contest this summer.

However, I have not put my camera into Nolan’s hands since he’s only 2.5 years old. We do have a toy camera at our house and the last time the two of them were at our house Nolan picked it up and scouted the backyard for great photo ops. He spent time chasing our dog, Ginger, around the backyard. He took pictures of his brother taking videos of his grandparents.

Being a photographer, I enjoy watching my grandsons take pictures even when the camera is facing the wrong way.

His favorite spot was our garden. He studied the plants and put the camera to his eye and then pretended to push the shutter. However, if the camera actually took pictures, all of them would have been of the same subject, his eye. The camera lens was always pointing straight into his eye.

No matter how hard we try to get things right, we live life backwards. We know what God wants from us. He wants our attention, affection, and allegiance, yet the lens of life seems to focus on ourselves and not on God.

God has turned the camera around through the washing of rebirth in the gift of the Holy Spirit. Even though we are incapable of getting life “right,” God declares us to be right with him through his Son. His sacrifice changes our perspective from being self-focused to God-focused. The power for this changed perspective is ours through God’s Spirit.

Even though we still turn the camera around and focus on ourselves, his saving grace gently and sometimes not so gently, leads us back to his cross, to his work in our lives.

Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Picture and Text Copyright Douglas P Brauner