Developing Our Negatives

For my morning spiritual "boost", I usually read a short article from a magazine called the Daily Word. Each article has a focus -- a word or phrase that is the topic for consideration. This is accompanied by an affirmation, a short text, and a Bible verse, that all relate to the focus. Today's Daily Word focus is "Emergence" and you can read it here. It uses an analogy from photography, so it caught my attention and I came up with this extension to this idea. The rest of this article is based on an analogy to the picture developing process in a darkroom.

Before digital cameras, every photo began as an "Image capture" in a film camera, which was stored on a "negative". To "process" it, we shine light through this image to make a "positive" image on a paper, which is put it into "developing" fluid. And the final image slowly comes into view.

OK, now let's use this film process as an analog for how we convert experiences into what we become. First the "raw" experience happens and we fill our memory with all the sensations and feelings produced. Initially, some of the aspects may seem "negative" and produce feelings of fear. But now, we begin to process these, by "shining" the light of wisdom and love through this experience. Gradually, we see that the negative parts are washed away in the processing and we are left with the image and lessons of love.

As we repeat this process each day, we will gradually create a "photo album" of our loving experiences and the lessons that we have learned, which allow us to be ever clearer in developing our own expression of God. Therefore, do not dwell on the negatives; they're just an early part of the process toward developing a clear expression of the child of God that you are!