By
this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:35
David Doubilet is a photojournalist whose pictures of a silent underwater world can turn
even an ugly, bug-eyed sea creature into a lovely, luminescent work of art. Although he
has received many honors for his work, he has also been criticized by environmentalists
for not doing more "hard-edge" journalism. They want him to take pictures of
dead fish, dirty beaches, and polluted oceans.
But Doubilet believes there's a better way to get people to care about the environment.
Instead of showing the destruction that humans are causing, he shows the beauty God has
created.
Some Christians seem to think that the way to improve our spiritual environment is to
point out all the evil in the world. But Jesus showed us a better way. Although He never
glossed over sin (Matthew 15:18-20), He said to His followers before going to the cross,
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another" (John 13:35). We are more effective witnesses when we become portraits of
the beauty God is creating in us than when we merely paint a bleak picture of human
degradation.
"In the end," says Doubilet, "the best thing one can do is to amaze
people." And what could be more amazing to the world than Christians who truly love
one another?
-JAL
Oh, what glory in a sunrise
Golden hues from God above!
More amazing still the beauty
Of a life filled with His love!
-D.
De Haan
Love is a magnet that draws believers together and unbelievers to Christ.