So here I am in Miami Beach, in a beautiful hotel room overlooking both the pool and the beach (with a balcony! yes!!), playing photography assistant during this swimsuit pageant. And it crossed my mind that no matter where my heart is this week, it’ll be very hard to be God’s vessel and be strongly Christian while willingly participating in an activity that exists solely to showcase some pretty personal areas of the body. This brings me to the following question: Do I abstain from the activity on principle? Or do I make myself as useful as possible, knowing that my assistance will bless others?

I chose the latter today, and here’s why. I’m helping the photographers. When photography is your career, you don’t look at it as a crass activity. You don’t look at body parts; you look at the angle of the sun in the sky. Clinging to this safeguard (I know what you’re thinking and I agree. It’s a barely-there safeguard, but a safeguard nonetheless and I’ll take what I can get!), I decided to be as much of a blessing as I can be. Be a servant. Jesus walked among everyone regardless of who they were, and He was here to serve them all. Granted, He never participated in anything that went against His principles, and I’m still deciding if that’s what I’m currently doing. I’m wavering on this point.

I’m not wavering on the heart of a servant, however, so helpful I will be. I figure, it isn’t about preaching or talking about God or telling people whats right or wrong or the lives they should live. It’s about loving them in the few short moments I get with them, be they family or stranger, and leaving the rest to God. If I show one of the models true and pure love (even though my actual job is to make sure the wind doesn’t blow their hair wrong and that they understand their poses), and she seeks more of it at a later date, God will do the work in her that shows her how her lifestyle should be. I just don’t see it as my place to judge, merely to love and to serve. And to pray. And if God wants to use me in a more direct way, to intervene with someone’s life, He can do so. He can soften hearts and give revelation. He easily can. So I trust Him to do it. And I do my part to bless everyone I can in the meantime.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this though, so write to me at being.rebekah.a@gmail.com. Take care and God bless!

~Rebekah A