Simplifying… me

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.  There are days I am tempted to agree with them.  Joel and I bought a new camera.  We spent months researching and comparing brands, prices, and pixels, then finally bit the bullet.  We pushed our nine-year-old, first edition, digital Sony camera aside and purchased a camera that promised to do everything, as well as cure cancer (well, not really).  I was like a kid on the night before Christmas as I waited for our upgrade into the 21st century to arrive in the mail.  When it finally came, I had that thing unpacked in less than five seconds flat.

I started snapping pics like I knew something about cameras…which I don’t.  In fact, as I flipped through to review my recent shots, it became very clear to me that I know absolutely “nada” about camera technology built in the last 10 years.  I pulled out the owner’s manual and instructional DVDs, getting to work, learning about his new piece of machinery.  Suffice it to say, a month later I am still learning by much trial and error.  Almost to the point of pulling out my old Sony and giving up.  But of course I won’t.  You see, the desire to take better quality photos far outweighs the desire to stop learning how to operate this new camera, as frustrating and impossible as it may seem at times.

I haven’t been blogging lately because I have felt like an old dog learning new tricks over the past five months.  God is up to new things, and most of them aren’t that comfortable for me.  He’s been stretching me beyond my comfort zone and requiring my nose to be stuck in his instructional manual rather than my computer.  I often find myself wishing I could return to the things that I know, like my old Sony digital camera, rather than take that overwhelming step towards the life and future I have dreamed about.

It’s easy to dream.  To think about how nice it would be to get that one perfect snapshot.  It’s something completely different to start working towards that dream.  That takes discipline, time, a few tears, and perseverance.  It takes a determined effort to keep that dream in view, ignoring the growing pains, and trusting the One in the lead.  The new tricks might seem a bit out of reach, but they are never unattainable.

So, throw that old first-edition digital camera away, and get down to business on the new thing that God has brought your way.  We are not “Old Dogs” yet, my friend!

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