I honestly love it when the new year comes around. Everyone starts talking about all the great (and not so great) things that happened to them over the past year, reflect on what's to come, get on with new beginnings... It's refreshing and encouraging. 2012 was an interesting year. I have to say I learned a lot. It's always in retrospect that I start to realize just how crazy life can get (and how much can change) in 12 months time. The thought makes me so hopeful 2013. So, here's to a new year.
Some of my highlights of my 2012: I bought my beautiful new camera (that has now made me experience what it's like to be a poor college student), shot and put together my first videography project and spoke at my first conference, explored my hometown a little more, vacationed in North Carolina, filmed my first concert, went antique shopping and bought things I didn't need, got a cat named Jovi who makes me superbly happy, bought way too much music (and I'm not sorry), took thousands of photos and had many, many photo adventures, went to see one of my favorite bands (NEEDTOBREATHE), choreographed and led a dance team through a conference performance, got to be a model for a few days, saw llamas (TWICE!) with great friends, saw Tim Hawkins with my brothers and dad, had some crazy suburb adventures with my brothers, and went to camp for the first time.
Also to bring in the new year, I started this blog. I can kind of be like those dogs that sit in the front of their houses near the freeway flipping their heads from side to side trying to watch every single car that goes by; in other words, I get distracted. I get distracted from why I do things-- photography (to give people something beautiful), or what my life is about (following Christ), or that life isn't about me (God's truth is to be told through my story). For me, I am starting this to A: keep myself focused on truth, B: to help me reflect and rejoice, and C: to document life and give thanks. A lot of times I try to pretend that I don't really have a story to tell, but truthfully, I do. I mean, we all do. It's just a matter of getting it out, talking about it, realizing it--sometimes you just have to sit down and write it out for yourself to see it.
Also to bring in the new year, I started this blog. I can kind of be like those dogs that sit in the front of their houses near the freeway flipping their heads from side to side trying to watch every single car that goes by; in other words, I get distracted. I get distracted from why I do things-- photography (to give people something beautiful), or what my life is about (following Christ), or that life isn't about me (God's truth is to be told through my story). For me, I am starting this to A: keep myself focused on truth, B: to help me reflect and rejoice, and C: to document life and give thanks. A lot of times I try to pretend that I don't really have a story to tell, but truthfully, I do. I mean, we all do. It's just a matter of getting it out, talking about it, realizing it--sometimes you just have to sit down and write it out for yourself to see it.
I don't really have a new year's resolution, but I did choose a Bible passage to memorize this year:
Matthew 6:30: "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."
Matthew 6:30: "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."
Happy New Year!
-Shelby
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