Standing in a field of newly sprouted casava in the middle of Nigeria, the cool breeze gently touches my face. Children are laughing in the distance while a single car engine breaks the peaceful silence. The shutter of my camera attempts to capture this moment but only takes in a fraction of the emotions I’m feeling. I’m caught wondering how I got so lucky to have the life I’m living and then I hear the words:
"You decided on it; I made it happen.”
My headphones echo with scores and soundtracks that vibrate the depths of my soul. I see cinematic motion in this field. I see a story. I see something that the majority of the world will never see. With a quick flip of a wrist, my camera is lifted to my eye and the distinct *snap* is heard. I look down at my LCD screen to see a familiar moment captured, a time in Africa where confirmation and adventure collide.
Davie and Danielle approached me to write something about my life. That’s always such a weird thing for me to think about because when I look at my life, it’s normal, it’s my day-to-day. But people are always telling me that my life is incredible, that they wish they had something like it. And while this encourages me to an extent, it discourages me because I think it reveals how lost we are in our vision for our own life.
Rewind five years and you’ll find me in a pit of depression and frequent mood swings. I had just been removed from an emotionally turbulent relationship with a coworker and thought very little of myself or progressing in life. I hear a message centered around Mark 10:21, the parable of the rich man, and this triggers inside me a desire to go on a missions trip. The odd thing is that this passage has nothing to do with trips like that but after endless google searches and phone calls, I found myself signed up for a trip to Africa. Fast forward six months and you’ll find me on the end of my trip deciding to follow a simple calling I felt like God have me.
"Tell the stories of the unseen to the people back home to bring change and awareness to the injustices and the unknown of the world."
So I decided in that moment that I would. I would buy a camera, I would sign up for a trip to Uganda, and I would try. Even as I write this, I’m sitting in a chair in Nigeria on another film assignment. The outpouring of grace and favor because of that ONE decision to obey what God was telling me has only been increasing as I step out in faith.
Life doesn’t happen to you, you happen to life.
We get one shot at life. One shot. There is no other time except now. You want to see something in your life? Make it happen. Do something to make the change. Have a conversation with God. Tell him what you’d like to do in the world to best use your passions and giftings!
God is the very definition of awesome and wants to impart that into your life. He is magnificent and wants nothing more than to see magnificence pour out of your life. Don’t think for a second that just because people are experiencing greatness or adventure or success doesn’t mean it can’t happen to you too. Decide what you want out of life. Communicate with God, let him lead, and watch him make your life the most dynamic journey you’ll ever encounter.
I turn to walk through a small trail next to the field. Brushing my hands through the tall grass, it’s as if the history of this village penetrates my fingers as the green blades touch my skin. A child scurries past me, smiling and yelling, “Oyibo!” (white person). He stops about twenty feet from me and strikes a pose.
“You snap me!”
My camera acts for me and raises itself to my face. On one hand, I think to myself that I already have enough images of children from Africa doing the same, ninja-like pose. But for this one, this young boy, he has not seen me before. To acknowledge his life, his presence, his story for this one moment is to say that he matters to the world and this thought immediately changes how I view him.
Composing the shot with intentionality, I realize that these images are not just two-dimensional digital files. They are dynamic moments in people’s lives that deserve to be captured and shared. They are people unseen by millions. They are full of incredible wisdom and experiences, just waiting to release them to whomever asks.
Looking back at that day last week, I’m immediately reminded of the moment five years ago when I decided to make a change and a smile cracks on my face. Reflecting in the Nigerian village of Epe for a moment, I'm thankful that I get to live a life that the God of the universe allowed me to partake in. I’m grateful that I had a revelation that I had permission to step in and make a change that would forever impact that way I view the world.
My prayer today is that you have the same revelation.
