Turning the Lens Outward
By Jessica Brodie
Have you ever gone to take a picture of something on a cell phone, pressed the button, then realized you’d actually taken a picture of yourself? Usually, it’s not a very attractive picture either, with the camera lens perhaps angled up your nose or way too focused on your eyebrows as you’re trying to capture the moment. It’s happened to me a couple times, and it’s always funny.
But what’s not funny when it happens in real life—meaning when we think we’re focused on others, but we really were focused on ourselves, and the results are not always what we’d intended.
Sometimes it can be confusing to be a Christian walking in the world. On the one hand, we are told not to love the world (1 John 2:15), and to keep our focus on heavenly things (Colossians 3:2), but on the other, we are urged to love others as ourselves (Mark 12:31), to care for the least, and the lost, the hurting and the hungry, the naked and the suffering (Matthew 25:35-40).
The truth, of course, is all of these. We are supposed to keep our perspective on heaven, knowing that is our true home. We are children of God, and as Christian believers, the Holy Spirit should have dominion over our lives, soaring and moving in tandem with us as, together, we all try our hardest to bring about God’s kingdom on earth. Part of that involves understanding we are all connected and all worthy. We all need love. And when we care for others beautifully and intimately, helping their needs whether those needs are spoken or unspoken, we are loving the Lord. This is our way of showing love to Jesus and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Loving others is not the same as loving the world. We must do all we can to love others.
But we are a hurting people, even those of us who are true believers in Jesus Christ, our savior. We struggle with health issues, both physical, emotional, and mental health. We struggle with sin issues, too. And many of us are struggling so badly with these things that they start to eclipse the needs of other people around us.
For example, my teenaged daughter struggles with debilitating anxiety. She has what is called generalized anxiety disorder, as well as panic attacks. She’s doing really, really well right now, and she’s worked very hard to control all of this between counseling, medication, and prayer. But her disorder does take a toll sometimes, interfering with regular life.
Right now she is doing virtual school, but our other children attend school in-person. Sometimes we have to go to these other schools—schools she used to attend—to watch her siblings play in sporting events or perform in the orchestra or choir. For Avery, this was incredibly difficult.
Sometimes her anxiety would be so strong before we walked in that she would be shaking head to toe. She would mask this so well, but I could see it. Often, she’d pray with me before these events: “Please, please, God, don’t let me see anybody I know and have to interact with them.” Her issues had consumed her so entirely that her complete focus was on herself. It took an extraordinary amount of courage and energy to step into that crowded place.
But over the last year, as she learned how to manage her anxiety, I noticed her prayers begin to shift. The other night we went to see her stepsister sing in the choir, and Avery’s experience was very different. Instead of “please don’t let me see anyone I know,” her prayer changed to, “Lord, when I do see someone, please help me say and do the right thing.”
It’s a small shift, but a significant one.
See, her perspective is slowly swiveling. Instead of a cell phone camera with the lens focused entirely on herself, selfie style, now that lens is turned to encompass what is beyond herself.
Whenever we have the opportunity to turn our figurative lens outward, this is a positive. Think about it from a church perspective. Churches that have a focus entirely inward usually end up withering and dying. But those churches that are outward-focused—the ones that look beyond themselves to share the Gospel with their community or serve the needs of their neighbors through a clothing or food ministry—tend to be alive in the Spirit. Healthy, growing.
When we are experiencing something truly debilitating, whether that is a personal health issue, a loss, or a toxic relationship, it can be very tempting to isolate ourselves. Our attention turns inward to enable us to heal. But after a point, we have to swivel that camera lens in the other direction. We need to begin turning our gaze outward.
Maybe that is why we are commanded to love others as ourselves, because God knew so much self-focus fostered a disconnect … with our community, with the Holy Spirit, and with creation. Maybe that disconnect is the devil at work, isolating the sheep from the flock.
This week, as we prepare our hearts for Christmas, consider how you can train your eyes on the people around you. How can an outward perspective help glorify God? Pray on this. If you have any thoughts about this, I would love to hear them. Email me or comment below.
God bless you, my friends. We are all connected in Christ—those of us who are already Christians, and those of us who are yet to be.
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