Through a Lens of Grace

There’s something most people who know me already understand about me… I take pictures of everything. If I see something that feels beautiful to me, I’m probably going to snap a picture of it. Sunsets. Random flowers growing through cracks in concrete. A smile someone didn’t even realize they had. The sky after a storm. The little moments most people walk right past. It makes me happy.

We all have things in life that bring us peace or joy, and for me, photography is one of those things. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m claiming to be some incredible professional photographer. Most of the time I’m just capturing a moment with whatever camera I happen to have in my hand at the time — sometimes an expensive camera, sometimes just my cellphone. But what matters to me has never really been the camera anyway. It’s what I see through the lens.

The same thing goes for people. When I take pictures of someone, I’m not looking at them through the eyes of insecurity, criticism, comparison, or perfection. I’m seeing what looks beautiful through my eyes. Not yours. And honestly, that’s where people struggle sometimes. Because while I’m focused on their smile, their light, their personality, or the way they naturally exist in a moment, they’re focused on every flaw they think they have. They’re criticizing themselves while I’m sitting there thinking, “Wow… this person is beautiful exactly as they are.”

I think we do this in life too. We spend so much time picking ourselves apart that we forget God never asked us to become flawless before He called us worthy. The world teaches us to filter everything — our faces, our bodies, our personalities, even our lives. Somewhere along the way people stopped wanting authenticity and started wanting alteration. But real beauty has never lived in perfection. Real beauty lives in honesty, emotion, light, scars survived, laughter that isn’t posed, and people who have been through hard things and still choose softness anyway.

Last night reminded me of this in the sweetest way. My 11-year-old nephew had my camera at graduation, and instead of stressing over every detail or trying to control every picture, I just handed it to him and let him take them. Those pictures were important to me too. They were going to be some of the only graduation pictures I would have with my niece, Dustin, and me together. And honestly? I knew whatever he saw through that lens would be enough.

He wasn’t looking for perfection. He wasn’t focused on flaws or insecurities. He wasn’t trying to make people look different than they truly are. He was simply capturing people he loved. There’s something pure about that kind of vision. Children see differently than adults do. Somewhere along the way many of us learned criticism before we learned grace. We became conditioned to zoom in on everything we dislike about ourselves instead of simply appreciating the moment, the memory, and the people in it.

But my nephew reminded me of something important: sometimes you just let it be. Sometimes the beauty is found in the realness of the moment — the imperfect smiles, the candid laughter, the unposed memories we’ll someday be thankful we kept.

If someone is looking for glamour shots that completely change how they truly look in real life, I’m probably not the person to ask to take your pictures. Because I’m not trying to erase people. I’m trying to show them what’s already there.

And maybe that’s part of how God sees us too. While we stand in front of the mirror pointing out everything we think is wrong with us, God looks deeper. He sees beyond insecurities, failures, aging, scars, brokenness, and imperfections. He sees His creation. He sees value. Purpose. Beauty.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s why I love photography so much. Maybe it’s not really about pictures at all. Maybe it’s about capturing pieces of creation the way my heart sees them before the world talks people into believing they aren’t enough.

And maybe we all need to start looking at ourselves through a lens of grace instead of criticism. Because some of the most beautiful things in this world were never flawless to begin with.

They were simply real.

If you’re seeking more Encouragement today, you may find comfort in our Devotions or be strengthened by our Verse of The Day or Prayers, offering Scripture to carry with you throughout the day.