PhotoPlay: Time for New Shoes

I need to throw them out. I can’t even donate them because they’re completely worn through and unable to provide any support or insulation to any other pair of feet that should dare to chance them. They are my favorite pair of flat brown shoes. The thin crisscross toe strap finally snapped and I placed them in the bin* only to remove them again the next morning. I’ve grown comfortable in them. They fit the shape of my foot. They fold in just the right places. They don’t make my feet tired. They can’t be replaced!

Can they?

Susan Jones inspired me to ask this question through her image in monochrome above. Here she breaks the rules of over- and underexposure, using light to accentuate the worn leather lines in an old pair of shoes.

Can you move on from your old comfort? I ask myself. Can you test what you think is a boundary?

Jesus was quiet when others expected retaliation. He worked among lepers and confronted worn out traditions. He exchanged hatred for love. Daily he broke away from comfort, something I have trouble doing!

PhotoPlay

The following PhotoPlay participants have demonstrated boundary-breaking through a particular photograph and accompanying reflections:

ELK paired music, image and verse.
Kathleen found beauty in brokenness.
Nancy transformed what she already had into a new creation.
L.L. decided to play in the snow with her daughters on an ordinary working day.
Darlene discovered beauty in the seemingly ugly and discovered something about salvation.
Monica decided to reflect on refinement in the midst of flames.
Claire asked God to open the drawer.

Post written by Claire Burge. Photo by Susan Jones. Used with permission.

*Bin is an Irish and South African word for garbage can.

-----

Culture on Fridays: See you next week for an interview with artists' friend, Maureen Doallas.

• Tags:  
• boundaries
• comfort
• photography
• photoplay

We recommend logging in before posting comments

Reader Comments