Cleaning the Lens

Several years ago, I was blessed to see and photograph a rainbow in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. But I didn’t realize until after I’d taken several frames that the wind had blown some raindrops onto the lens. These spots rendered the images unusable (except, of course, to illustrate what not to do):

When I recognized what had happened, I carefully cleaned the lens. Then, and only then, did the camera have a clear view of what it was supposed to see:

In 1924, B.B. McKinney wrote a hymn, the second verse of which contains these words:

Your life’s a book before their eyes,
They’re reading it through and through;
Say, does it point them to the skies,
Do others see Jesus in you?

With God’s help, I want to keep my life free from smudges, smears, dirt, and yes, raindrops (in other words, sin), that would prevent other people from having as clear a view as possible of Jesus.

Father, make me a vessel through whom Jesus shines.

– Max Lucado (in Outlive Your Life)