I love a good story. Especially if it amplifies a good life lesson or a Scriptural truth! Well, earlier this year, I happened to be part of a little story that happened in the life of my sister-in-law and fellow photographer, Lydia Bennett. She kindly obliged to recount the details here for our hearty enjoyment and to encourage us when things don’t go as planned. –James

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This is the last picture I took before it happened:

When I pressed the shutter release and there was no response, I pressed again. Nothing.

“Ohhh, my battery just died! Oops! Guess I better run inside and grab my other one.”

Except, when I ran inside to get my other battery, it wasn’t there. I poked deeper into the pocket where I keep my batteries. Gone. Where had I stuck it?

“Well, in the meantime, I’ll just stick this battery on my charger.”

I unzipped the other pocket on the side of my bag . . . and found it was empty too!

“What on earth?! Where were my battery and charger?”

I started searching through my bag more thoroughly, and after exploring every crevasse, I determined I was missing not only my extra camera battery, and charger, but also the extra batteries and charger for my speedlite.

You have no idea the sinking feeling that started to set in.

Well, actually, maybe you do, if you’ve ever lost something valuable before.

The funny thing is, I had never before thought of a battery as something all that valuable. My full frame, professional-level camera? Yes, valuable. My 70-200mm 2.8 L-series, amazing, incredible, favorite ever lens? Yes. Very valuable indeed.

But a battery? I never thought of it as particularly valuable—it’s not that expensive, doesn’t look all that cool, and is not something I would geek out talking with people about like I might a camera or a lens.

It was at this moment that I realized the value of a battery. Without a battery, my camera & lens setup is worth absolutely nothing. Without a battery, I am powerless to take any photos.

I could look like a professional photographer and act like a professional photographer . . . but without a battery, I’d just be an act. Eventually in the end when I was asked to display my photos, I’d be proven to be nothing but a show.

The Bible says that without Christ in our lives we are dead in our sins. You know, kinda like a camera that’s dead without a battery. When we’re born, we’re like a brand new DSLR straight out of the factory. We look great, have amazing specs and are worth a lot . . . but if we don’t receive life through a battery—Christ—in the end when we’re asked to show the “pictures” of our life, it will all have been worthless. Just a show. Great on the outside but empty within.

However, if we’ve trusted Christ as Savior, this is what has happened: “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).

That word “quickened” means to “make alive” or to “reanimate”. Yeah, kinda like putting in a battery, seeing all the lights turn on and actually having a response when you press the shutter release.

Which, by the way, eventually happened.

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After the sinking feeling set in, I began to retrace my steps on where I could have left the batteries & chargers. The last place I had been was in Delaware, photographing a wedding with James & Julianna.

The problem is, at this point J&J were down south for a convention and I was up north in Connecticut.

So, I messaged them and asked if they could look through their bags to see if they could find my missing items.

They looked . . . and the batteries and chargers were nowhere to be found.

Had I left them in Delaware at the reception hall after the wedding? I could not specifically remember picking them up. So, we called the hall and they said they’d look, but we didn’t receive further word. Gradually, I began to realize I’d probably need to buy some replacements. “That’s fine (I guess), it’s just frustrating to think about spending money on something I wouldn’t have to spend if if I’d just not lost it!!”

Well, to keep a long story short (err, at least less long) . . . the night before I was going to give up ALL hope and just go ahead and make my purchases, I got a call from James. He happened to see a bulge in a random pocket of his bag that he never puts anything in….and discovered my missing batteries and charger! He hadn’t even thought to look there. Soon the batteries were sent my way and I was happily reunited with them!

And now I’m back in business! There’s life in my camera. And hopefully it will stay that way for a very long time. 🙂 I can get back to using the camera for what it was designed to do.