I love taking photographs of anything and everything. I drive Tom crazy because I like taking pictures of what we’re eating as well, and he has to wait while his food gets cold.  I like to think of myself as a photo journalist–capturing moments of our life with the camera. 🙂

One of my favorite apps on my smart phone is Instagram. It allows me to filter pictures and give them a completely different look. Basically, it alters reality to make it look prettier, brighter, more ominous or blurred. Whatever it is that strikes my fancy.

Look at the following photo I took while we were in Beech Mountain, NC.

What kind of day does it look like to you? What emotions come to mind? Gloomy. Sad. Discouraged. Cold. Scary. Winter. These are the words I thought of.

You would be surprised to see what the day really looked like. It wasn’t like this at all! The filter I used in Instagram allowed me to take a perfectly beautiful day and make it look quite the opposite. A filter is a powerful tool for the photographer. It makes your options limitless.

This made me think of life and our marriage.

Our reality is processed in our heart and mind based on the filter we’re using. And this determines the response we’ll have with our current situation.

If you have a filter which causes you to see the negative side of life, then no matter how good things are, you will always see the bad. I have known people like this, and they aren’t much fun to be around. I call it the “Eeyore Syndrome”.

If you have a rose-tinted filter, you may always see the good and avoid all conflict. You tend to sing even when those around you are suffering. Those who view life in this way rarely encourage and empathize with those who are broken. It’s as if their pain will pop their false bubble of happiness. It’s good to have faith for the future, but we mustn’t allow our faith to keep us from entering into the pain of others and helping them by simply listening with a heart of love.

The best filter to have in place is the filter of grace.

When you see your life and struggles in light of the grace of God you’ve been given, it helps take even the most dreary of circumstances and see the good. It may be hidden way back in the back of the photo, but you know the good is hidden in there somewhere waiting to be discovered. This grace will take your best days and remind you that it is a gift from God and not your own doing. Those who view life with this filter, see the reality, trust God with the trouble and thank Him for the good. It is the best way to live.

How are you viewing your marriage? Do you see all the bad and none of the good? Do your accept only the good and ignore the bad? Or do you balance them both by trusting in God’s grace to lead you no matter how the picture in your life develops. God is at work in the midst of our black and white days and the One who should receive the credit when our days are brighter and better.

Are you curious as to how that day on Beech Mountain really was? Here’s the original photograph:

As you can see it was a picture perfect day!

If you’re interested, we have an Instacanvas Gallery where you can see our best photos on display. We invite you to follow us if you would like.