Love is . . .: March 2013

I get asked all the time, "what do the numbers mean on your pictures that you post to facebook or instagram?" The short answer is that they represent the number of days I have been 24. I planned on taking a picture every day of the year during my 24th year. I am on day 180 and so far I have failed at that goal but I still persevere to attempt it. You see, 24 is my favorite number. So it's kind of a big year for me and I wanted to make it memorable. But besides the silly reason, there are a few serious reasons that I had decided to do this.

1) I wanted to begin to live every day to the fullest and not just be content with getting through each day. I wanted the picture to force me to get out, even when I didn't want to, and try something new and exciting: Climb mountains, travel, try new food, be spontaneous. I don't believe life should be something we can just routinely scoot through. I think life shouldn't be wasted. Not the time at work, the time at home; the time with friends, the time alone. One of my greatest fears is that I might look back and think I didn't do enough with my life. I yearn to live life with the adventure it was meant to have.

2) I wanted to search for God's glory every single day. Seeking out moments where God would just blow my socks off. Sunrises, sunsets, storms, friend's love, bible reading, etc. Our ultimate goal in life should be to glorify God and I wanted a tangible way to encourage myself to that goal. When you search for God, He will surely reveal Himself to you. That's what I've learned a lot so far this year. There have been so many times where I just needed wisdom, and He provided; where I just needed comfort in pain, and it was there; where I needed a friend, and one was placed into my life. Through these pictures I aim at capturing that moment to remind me of God's love and show God's glory to those that see it.

3) I wanted to encourage others to begin doing the same. The internet can either be a colossal waste of time or a beautiful tool to share to the world. A picture can speak a thousand words and I wanted to inspire my friends, or anyone else that might see the picture, to live their life to the fullest in God's plan for them.

4) I wanted to practice a skill that God has given me a passion for, to take pictures of His creation. I love taking pictures and thought this would be a good way to exercise that skill. I wanted to make sure through my pictures, that I was glorifying God with my life and the passions and skills he provided me with, that they might not go to waste.

Now, the first half of the year is almost up and I have ran into some serious problems thus far. Some days I might not have a phone on me, or I might be so caught up in the moment, that I forget to take a picture. Then on some occasions God's glory was revealed to me in a way a picture couldn't tell. Not necessarily a bad thing but just hard to make things consistent. I have also had many days where I just failed at doing something exciting or picture worthy, where I became content with just getting through that day. That is a bad thing considering it doesn't help my goal at all.

Starting on day 183 (Sunday) it will be my half birthday and I am going to aim at fixing some of these issues I have had thus far. First off, I will write a little description under the photo of the way I accomplished my goal as well as a little blurb of what God taught me that day. I might even try to write a weekly blog. I figure this will help even if the day wasn't picture worthy. It will also help me to seek out God's change and wisdom in my life every day.

So there you have it, an explanation behind my "365 days of 24". I ask that you help to encourage me every day to live up to my goal and keep me accountable for chasing God's glory. It helps immensely. And maybe you could start a similar goal: maybe a month of pictures, or daily writings, or whatever way the passions God has given you can urge you to chase after Him daily.

I'll leave you with a few of my pictures so far this year.