A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.

     It is a popular saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words." A simple snapshot can capture the essence of a specific time and place that at once meant enough to the photographer to document it. The funny thing about a picture, however, is that it always means more to the one who witnessed the subject in action than it does to whoever takes the time to appreciate the photo in passing.

     To you, this picture is a sweet gathering of little Chinese faces. If you were to notice this picture elsewhere, you might even take the time to admire it, maybe produce a mental "aww", and you would move on to the next interesting item on your imaginary list. In theory, there is nothing wrong with your assessment of this picture. It is, however, just a picture.....right?

     In this insane yet spectacular new journey that God has placed me in, I see everything in a new light. Previously dull colors are heightened in a new and brighter sense that I never really took time to notice before. I wake up every morning with a purpose, and a desire to learn more and to quench this never ending thirst that God has created in the very center of my spiritual being. Every day I am further away from the last time that I was in China, but that only means that I am closer to the day when i will return.

     To me, this isn't just a picture. This is an image that is forever burned in my memory as a reminder that what I experienced merely a week ago is real. It's a reminder that God has burdened not just my heart, but my entire existence for the people that have no hope. When I see the little faces in this picture, I see individual souls that the world has forgotten, but Jesus has not. I see hearts that will be broken, with no hope of ever healing because Christians would rather argue over church pew colors and what someone wore on Sunday than go beyond the comforts of home, and reach a desolate people that will never have a chance to hear the name of Jesus. I only wish that I could bottle up just a small percentage of the burden that God has placed in my heart, and give it out one by one to the people that I come in contact with every Sunday. If only there was a way to mirror the emptiness in these little faces that you see in this picture, and convince you that China is only the world's largest mission field.

     To me, this isn't just a picture. This is my vision. This is my new reason for living. This is my purified passion.