As a professional photographer my husband, Hunter, has the ability to see beyond the normal eye, to capture the beauty that I, admittedly, often miss. Put a camera in his hand and he can make any ordinary thing seem extraordinary. He has always found joy in focusing on what’s beautiful around him, no matter how small, and it comes through every picture he takes.  

Living in Haiti brought the best out of his skill. While I loved sharing our experiences through storytelling, Hunter’s mission was to share the untold beauty of Haiti with a world that only knew of its despair. While other photographers took pictures of dirty children with bloated bellies on the side of the road, Hunter would take pictures of those same children in their homes laughing and playing with their families. In other words, if there was anything lovely to be seen, he could always find it with the help of his lens. 

Seeing beauty doesn’t come as naturally for me as it does my husband. Put a camera in my hand, and I typically snap a quick shot and move on. But watching Hunter, I have learned that to find true beauty you have to take the time to focus your lens, zoom in to discover the details, take multiple shots of the same image, then spend time editing as needed. 

Over time, I have learned that ministry requires much the same. Often, it is difficult to see what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent like Paul instructed (Philippians 4:8). 

Sometimes, we can only see the pain, the hardship, and the ugly. But as daughters of God, it is our job to focus our lenses, discover the details in people that God sees, take multiple shots, and edit our viewpoints as needed. In other words, we need to learn to see others not just with our human eyes but with our Christ-centered hearts.  

While I occasionally second-shoot with my husband Hunter, the truth is, I will never be a professional photographer. I just don’t have the creative eye for it. But what I can become is someone who sees people through the lens of Christ’s love for them. A lens that always can see what is beautiful!