While I am in a photography class that is solely black and white photography, my mind doesn't think about photographs today. The last few days have brought many occasions for me to think about life itself in black & white.
How black is black and how white is white? A very wise and godly man once asked me if any of my Biblical beliefs were more abstract than concrete. I had to say yes because some of them are. Some of my beliefs are formed from understanding how God responded to people in the Old Testament, over and over again, as it was.....some of my beliefs are formed from watching
Jesus interact and respond to people in the New Testament. And some of them are in my heart because of God's response to my life because of prayer and obedience.
Other beliefs are there because it's perfectly clear what is expected of a follower of Christ. Some things are just spelled out and obvious.
So what about those abstract things? After all, real life is in living color.
I've found it interesting that things can stay black and white if they don't affect you or those you love. When the impact of real life comes to your front door, a little gray might show itself.
I'm not talking compromise. Compromise is a word that should have only 4 letters and to compromise one's beliefs about God or His statutes is toying around with disaster. (I've seen that, too.) But what about the gray stuff the "abstract stuff? While all of our ideas, thoughts and actions should be sifted through the sieve of God's Word, it seems that some days there is a lot of gray to choose between.
I'm not sure why I'm rambling on here.
We just have a couple of "issues" going on with our family that are exhibiting themselves in not such black and white forms. Is it possible that 2 different postures could please God? Isn't it possible that God can work one thing out in 2 different scenarios?
I learned a long time ago not to put God in a box. Inevitably, it is MY box I put Him in and it is me that is limiting the possibilities. For me to say that my way is the only way is shutting down a whole lot of possibilities. Even if I can hold "my way" in line with the Word, that does not mean that God can't or won't work His plan out in other ways as well.
So, anyway....I'm trying to see all the grays with a #0 filter (you would have to be in my photo class to know what I'm talking about ). Trying to see all the texture, all the shades. Our physical eyes were created to see all the varieties of colors, shades and textures. Maybe God wants the eyes of our hearts to see the same.
