Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

My wife and I placed our order at Dairy Queen and stepped away from the counter to make room for other customers. A few moments later, the exterior doors opened and a mother and her young daughter came in. After taking a couple of steps inside, the mother stopped, leaned down to the child, pointed up to the dessert menu on the wall and said, “We have some important decisions to make here.”

Now, I confess that on occasion, I have wrestled with the decision of whether to get a Butterfinger Blizzard made with chocolate soft serve or a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. (Although, I don’t think I’ve ever attached the adjective important to choosing between these two options.) Nevertheless, the encounter – which took only a few seconds – prompted me to think about decisions.

The world of nature photography is filled with decisions. For example:

When should I go out?
What location should I go to?
What gear should I take?
Where should I place my tripod and camera?
What aperture and shutter speed should I use?

There are a number of instances where I decided to take a photograph at a specific location. Subsequently, circumstances at that spot changed, rendering it impossible to ever take that shot again. Below is a sunrise photo I took not too far from where I live. Now this spot is a housing development.

In some cases, the alternatives I have to choose between are impacted by earlier decisions I’ve made. One day I was going out to photograph waterfalls. But before I left home, I decided to add a close-up lens to my gear. Because of that decision, I was also able to take this photo:

In the Old Testament, 40-year-old Caleb had a decision to make. He was one of the spies who’d crossed the Jordan River and scouted the Promised Land. The majority of this group voted against invading. But instead, Caleb said, “Hey, let’s do this because God has promised he will be with us.” (My paraphrase of Numbers 14:9.) Because he honored God with a decision made in his middle age, 85-year-old Caleb was later blessed with choices that others did not have. (See Joshua 14:6-13.)

Back to that word important. How do I know which decisions are significant? The fact is that I usually don’t. So, how do I make choices? In my work outdoors with a camera, I’ve developed this touchstone:

Seek out areas in nature that reveal the
beauty, majesty, and intricate detail in God’s creation.
Then, create high-quality, visually-interesting photographs which will
(a) honor God
and
(b) clearly and honestly communicate to the viewer what I saw and experienced.

In life in general and in the life of faith, I’ve found these words from Colossians to be helpful in making decisions:

And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father
through him.

– Colossians 3:17 (NIV)