There was controversy in the awarding of the 2013 World Press Photo of the Year. According to some, the photo that won the prize didn't represent the reality that was photographed. It had gone through significant retouching, enough for some to claim that the picture was fake.

I'm not a photography expert, so I won't weigh in on that. But I will point out that many pictures are fake. That is, they reflect a reality that doesn't exist.

You've seen them… photos showing a happy couple, when those people are on the verge of divorce. Glamour shots of celebrities that eliminate all wrinkles and blemishes. Panoramic photos with nary a cloud to disturb the heavens. Christmas photos with bows, ribbons and smiles all around.

In fact, we are more interested in having photos that look good than we are in photos that look real. We preen and prep so that we will look better in pictures than we do in everyday life.

So how do you look to God? What does he see? Remember what the Bible says:

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

God looks at the heart. Not the blood-pumping organ in my chest, but the inner me behind the photo-ready facade. He doesn't care about my hair or my skin tone; he wants to know what I'm like on the inside.

If you're like me, you're aware that your insides could use some retouching. Your inner man could use a bit of Photoshop. The Bible also tells us who can do that:

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Your inner man could use a bit of Photoshop
God can change our heart. He can make us into what we should be. Then we won't need to fake anything nor retouch anything. God will give us the heart that he's looking for.

Want to know more about how to receive this change of heart? Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org or join the conversation atwww.hopeforlife.org.

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