Sunday, January 20, 2013

on authenticity



        I found a picture on pinterest that said, "help people + your talent = purpose".  This just hit home because these last couple months I've been asking God, "what do You want me to do with my life?  What is my purpose on this earth?"  He still has not told me, but He is slowly showing me that to truly love and serve him, authenticity is needed.  A true purpose must be genuine.  I can't imitate someone else's passion and purpose.  It must be the one God has for me.  
        Because of these things that God is showing me, I decided to choose a word for 2013: Authentic.  To be authentic means to be true to one's own personality, spirit, or character, and not to be false or an imitation.  There are many parts of my life that I want to be newly infused with authenticity.
        As a young lady in Christ, I want to have an authentic faith.  I don't want to have a cheap imitation when I can have the real thing.  I want to be real in all aspects of the word. 
        As a photographer, I want to take pictures that matter.  I want to capture people's genuine emotions and facial expressions as they happen, not as they are posed.  
        In my life I want to be myself and I want to be open about how I feel.  I waste too much time wondering if I'm going to say something stupid.  I don't want to pretend I am someone I am not because I don't feel comfortable.  Jesus never called me to be comfortable.  He called me to step out of my comfort zone and show people who he made me to be.  I want to learn to forgive everyday, not just when people ask for it.
        In my friendships I want to be open about my struggles.  I want to love until I think I am going to burst.  I want to always listen first.  I want to ask how people are and not just settle for one word answers.  I want to develop friendships that will last.  I want to write letters and keep in touch and not just forget about people because they don't live conveniently close to me.  
        Basically, I don't want to be like everyone else.  I want to love differently, see differently, and live differently.  I want people to wonder what it is that I have that makes me different.  I want for God to be real to me.  I want people to see Him in me because everything in my life and faith is authentic, not because I prayed at the lunch table.  I want to be authentic and I hope God will do a work in my heart this year, through all the new experiences, struggles, friends, and memories.



Thursday, January 17, 2013

snow: a photo essay




Winter is beautiful in a harsh sort of way.  It strips bare the colorful facade and reveals the bones underneath.  It slowly reveals the secret flaws.  It sends wind to rip across our cheeks, turning them red from the cold.  It brings tears to our eyes and we wipe them away over and over again.  Our toes grow cold but our heart is thawing, melting, revealing our hidden self.  The true heart is uncovered, just as an ancient city is by men.  Winter forces us to look at ourselves differently, in the view of harsh reality, untainted by our facades and masks.  The walls we built turn to ashes around us and we are vulnerable, exposed.  We spend the winter like this, with our heart open but when spring comes again we rebuild the walls until they turn to ashes again.
written by Tessa Brooke on November 5, 2012















How was your first snow day?
love, tessa brooke
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