Just Do It: The Lesson of the Leaf

In the fall of 2010, my wife and I drove most of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. That was a spectacular year for autumn colors! It was almost as easy as “point and shoot”. During the course of our journey, we pulled off the road and got out to take a closer look at the trees in a particular area.

Spotting a colorful, interesting-looking leaf on a branch, I quickly set up and took the shot. I turned around to call my wife and show her what I had photographed. When we both turned around, the leaf was gone. It had dropped from its branch and fluttered to the ground. If I had not acted when I did, I would have missed this shot:

The first recorded miracle that Jesus performed was at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). At that event, His mom apparently had some responsibility for the refreshments. When the supply of wine was prematurely exhausted, Mary went to her son for help. After she made her request to Jesus, she told some nearby servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” In the vernacular, it might be phrased, “Whatever He says, just do it.”

In my life and in photography, it’s important to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to me. Many times, what I need to do is not as easy as “point and shoot”. And sometimes, I have to make choices between different options.

Therefore, when I need to act, when I need to make a choice, I try to remember my purpose, my goals, my Master. And I try to recall “the lesson of the leaf”: Sometimes the opportunity before me might never come my way again.