Understanding the “Life Lens”

What do I mean by “life lens”?

I use the phrase life lens often. As a lifelong photographer, the lens on my camera offers me the perspective through which I compose photographs of people, events, and the world around me. Similarly, my life lens is my perspective on how I see myself, my past, my circumstances, and how I live and am in the present.

When I contemplated my life lens, what I learned was this;

While our life lens is the perspective through which we view ourselves and our life, right up to this moment, is significant in determining our life vision. It determines how we respond or react to circumstances, how we live, affects our confidence, self-value, and overall, our legacy.

Lenses (and apps too) can use filters – filters will blur, distort, make a photo or what we see through the lens, look different. Some, can block our vision altogether. The same is true with our life lens, and not always in a positive way.

Our pure, unfiltered  life lens is the perspective God sees – every aspect of our being, past, present, and future, just as He designed.

Distorted Perspectives and Spiritual Warfare

As our life lens becomes distorted with filters of life experiences. Filters such as other peoples’ words or actions, our past choices, our emotions, etc. The enemy loves to use any opportunity and weakness, leveraging them to create filters that seek to separate us from who God made us to be, distort The Truth and worse – begin spiritual warfare. The enemy’s arsenal causes us to slowly internalize and carry this baggage affecting every aspect of our lives and our legacy. It’s what leaves us feeling unfinished or offtrack, even as if we are wandering in the proverbial desert of our lives.

These filters prevent us from truly knowing who we are and seeing the Truth of our gifts and talents because our perspective fails to see God’s work in all areas of our lives. We become stuck, unhappy, and don’t understand why or how to change it.

Satan pulls the wool over our eyes and makes us think we aren’t good enough, worthy, and with no hope for a future.  As we continue to only look through that lens and those filters, we stay stuck.

If we only see our lives – past, present, and future, through the lens filtered from seeing God’s handiwork within us and around us, we will only see ourselves as broken, unworthy, and insufficient, living a life less than you were designed for.

But you have all you need and equipped to clear those filters!

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.  John 10:10

Recognizing and Countering Filters

My friend, I encourage you to recognize those filters. Identify each one and how they are showing up, keeping you from living your life vision journey.
Counter them with God’s Truth.
Then begin to see through a clear life lens!

As you begin to clear your lens to see yourself and your life as God does,  you will learn to be content in all circumstances, trusting Him more and discovering your identity and so many possibilities!

The Journey to Freedom

Ladies, THIS is freedom.

What filters distort your life lens?

What areas of your life can you be bolder and more confident by changing your perspective and life lens?

Knowing more clearly who you are and what has been blocking or distorting your life lens, what is possible, how does your life vision change?

The gift that has allowed me to set the stage for women’s vision journey transformation. What a blessing for me to see those changes!

Would you like to work on your vision journey? I would love to talk to you. Schedule your free Vision Discovery Call.

The power of a photograph and your life lens

This image was created during a weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a traditional October weekend trip we go on with a group of friends. While the rest of the group were shopping or doing other things, I enjoy wandering the area neighborhoods on my own. Most homes in that area are empty for the winter season leaving the neighborhoods quiet.

As I wandered through a small reserve, the nearly perfect reflection caught my attention. As I took notice of the details it spoke to me of an impressionist painting and I created the image.

When I returned home and reviewed the images this image seemed perfect as an abstract landscape. What otherwise would be perfectly detailed trees, had the texture the water’s ripples. You recognize them as trees, but certain details are not as clear. The ripples act as a filter to distort the image details making them appear differently than directly in life. Just like filters on our life lens can distort our details of how we see ourselves, our circumstances, our vision for our life and possibilities. Filters can cause us to be discontented, off-track.

I hope this can help you uncover the filters you have that hold you back from your life vision. Pray and ask them to be revealed and counter them with Truth.

Try for yourself

• Go for a short walk, anywhere, notice what’s around you. Relax your mind and your heart.
• What catches your eye? What is in our heart and mind in that moment and what comes to you as you reflect on what you see and record a photo.
• Journal about it. How does this help shift your perspective?

Interested in learning the practice of photography as prayer, devotion, and self-discovery? Let’s Chat!