About a month ago I began my life as a Google Local Guide. If you don’t know much about that don’t worry, I didn’t either. Google considers people local guides when they answer questions about local businesses, make edits about items on their maps or upload pictures to their maps.
Uploading pictures to their maps is the thing that really took off for me. See I have these drones but just flying them becomes less and less exciting as the newness fades. I am a person who needs to somehow find value in the use of things. I had taken all of these pictures, but had never known what to do with them too much.
On Fury’s Ferry Road in Augusta, Georgia there is the Church of the Holy Comforter. It is a beautiful house of worship and I had always wanted to take a set of images of it. Once I had taken my Inspire 1 drone over to do some photography, but a problem with the software kept if from happening. Well in July 2017 I took my smaller drone, the Mavic Pro over there and took a set of images.
I ran them through Adobe Lightroom adjusting them a bit for some distortion and color and then posted. I did this with a lot of pictures some of churches and some of businesses. In early August I have posted around 190 or so photos. What has been so surprising is the number of views the images have gotten. By August 7th, 2017, about a month (less really) after starting I have 85,000+ views?! Seriously?
It is fun, baffling, and interesting to watch these grow.
A parallel to prayers
So I catch myself wondering who all these people are. They each have their stories and things going on that take them to this place and that.
One morning in early August 2017 I found myself pondering whether the efforts to put things up on Google Maps is of any real value. Sure it is enjoyable, validating even, but what impact does it have and why should I do this?
Well there are answers that can be given to that question, but as my pondering was happening during a time when I was praying a parallel came to mind. If my simply posting pictures onto a map that people use leads to people looking at them could I not expect that prayers offered for others and for situations might also have their impact?
I don’t know who, when, why, etc. people look at the photos I put up, but they do. I don’t know much of how prayer for others has an impact, but I believe it does. It just is nebulous. I have started praying with a faith empowered by what I see in Google Maps postings.
The “view count” could be compared to a “prayer impact count.” The prayer impact count will be revealed at some point, perhaps not in this life, but God teaches us to have faith. Acting that faith out truly takes effort, but will be of great value now and forevermore.
Psalm 113:3
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
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