Sunday: Focus on the Savior (with Ashley Sisk)

 For today's session of Sunday: Focus on the Savior, I have asked my dear blogging buddy, sister in the Lord and talented photographer, Ashley Sisk from Ramblings and Photos to guest post for us. I have gotten to know Ashley pretty well over the past few months and have learned a lot from her through her walk with the Lord, her photographic talent and her all around love for life. If you don't follow her already you really should. Every Sunday she hosts Scavenger Hunt Sunday so if you are ever looking for a photographic challenge then hop on over and join in the fun!

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My name is Ashley Sisk and I live in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. I married my best friend on October 17, 2009. I've always loved art and photography, so shortly after our wedding, I bought my first DSLR and started this blog. As a result of blogging, I re-discovered my creative spirit, enhanced my photography and editing skills and made some incredible friends. As of November 2010, I upgraded to the Canon 7D.

I'm passionate about my faith, my love affair with photography, building community and sharing what I know. I am currently building my portfolio, accepting clients and exploring the idea of selling a few of my prints on Etsy. Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors that may occur as I write. And, don't hesitate to contact me, if you ever have a question or challenge.

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For some reason, Robert Fulghum's poem, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, is on my mind.

There is so much truth to that poem...at the heart of the message, we are all taught (well most of us) the golden rule: treat others the way you'd want to be treated. You can find these same words of wisdom in Luke 6:31. It's one of our very first lessons in character (the desire to do what is right regardless of the consequences...the desire to do the right thing even if no one is watching). If we're lucky, that message will stick with us throughout our adult life. I know it's stuck with me...and in some cases I try really hard to treat people the way THEY WANT TO BE TREATED (takes a little more effort). 

While I was on vacation in London, two things happened (amongst many others):

• On our first day, my husband left his jacket in the taxi. We didn't realize it until the taxi had pulled away, but in our sleep deprived state...we were a bit frustrated that 1) we'd left the jacket and 2) the taxi driver didn't bother to notice or return it. Sure, it wasn't his responsibility, but had the roles been reverse...we hope we would have returned the jacket.
• While trying to find a replacement jacket, we were walking down the street when we witnessed two men running to catch a cab. One of the men dropped his prescription glasses out of his pocket as he was running. I saw them but it was my husband who immediately grabbed them and took off running after the cab (it wasn't a long run, but still). Once he got to the men in the cab, he politely knocked on the window with glasses in hand. The man looked shocked that anyone (let alone these silly Americans) would go out of their way to return this pair of glasses. It was just the right thing to do.

I mention these two instances because we make decisions everyday that often impact the lives of others. Doing the right thing isn't always easy. In many cases, it's inconvenient...even painful. It's easy to be selfish and do things that are in our best interest...do things because they make us happy, with little consideration for others. But, we must remember that our lives are not meant to be happy, but obedient. Our character is a direct reflection of that. As a result of doing the right thing...living our lives according to all those lessons we learned as kindergarteners, God will provide the rest. 

 Easier said than done, right?