MY WORKS LIKE RAGS – San Juan City 12 Assignments Photo Contest

A few weeks ago I was able to join a pretty fun photo contest hosted by the City of San Juan called “The 12 Assignments” photo contest, this is in celebration of National Tourism Month. The basic idea was to capture 12 of the given San Juan heritage locations as best as we could. They gave us a generous three days to accomplish as much as we wanted. Which allowed us multiple visits and opportunities to find the best moments and angles. We would occasionally bump into each other, have nice friendly chats while shooting the same subject, and sometimes, shared ideas on how to tackle the other locations.

I was able to visit and submit nine out of twelve. And out of the nine, I had three that I thought were contenders. Or so I thought. Because this, is a classic example of not understanding the assignment. To those who know me, I love to include a good amount of human elements in my photos. But after seeing the short list later on, I realized that the contest leaned towards capturing the heritage structures themselves. The entries I liked were not selected. But one I least expected, got chosen and eventually earned me a minor prize.

I talked to the others and some were also recognised through their least expected entry. And you know what? We were all as grateful as the ones who won the top prizes. Humbled that it was our least that got the judge’s attention. What I felt this time was very much like saving grace. Though saving grace does not count our works at all. We come to God in humility through Jesus Christ.

Many of us think our best work can get us a ticket to heaven. But we could be misreading the assignment too. Because in the Bible it says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works”. A friend always said: “If good works were the requirement to get to heaven, heaven would be a noisy place. Noisy from all the bragging.”

Of course, calling my works like rags is a bit extreme, but I hope you get my point. I believe the Bible offers a lot of parallels to what we experience in life. That is why it is important to study it, reflect on it, and allow it to work in our hearts. Or else we risk misreading the assignment of life.

So, which one would YOU pick? And which one do you think the judges picked?