At a recent writers conference, one of the speakers advised the attendees to get new headshots to keep their profiles up to date. A headshot, in case you didn’t know, is the photo of just your head, the picture of you that goes on the back of a book or on your website, Facebook page, etc. It had been a few years since I had changed mine, but  I didn’t want to change it. Since I dislike most photos of myself, I wanted to stay with the only one I liked.  Why should I change it?  I hadn’t changed. Or had I?

 

I remembered an incident a few weeks before when my grandson saw a picture of me taken many years ago when I worked for a major corporation. He was certain it wasn’t me, and I could not convince him otherwise. Looking at the photo, I had to agree it didn’t look like me now. But my current headshot? It was only ten years old.

At the conference bookstore, I picked up a book by one of the faculty members and flipped it over to read the back cover copy. The picture of the author was shocking, since it showed him so much younger with brown hair than his current gray. How long had it been since he’d gotten a new headshot?

Shortly after that, I sat with a group of single women at lunch where the conversation revolved around men and how their social media pictures were always much younger than the way they currently looked. That difference in appearance gave the women the impression that he men were not being sincere. These men weren’t showing their true selves, so they must not be honest in other ways too.

I glanced at one of my bookmarks which displayed my old, flattering headshot from ten years ago. Had I really changed so much in ten years? I wondered if by using that picture, I was being dishonest? I didn’t want to believe I looked older. I wanted to hang on to my younger appearance. Don’t we all? However, I wanted to convey honesty, and that I was thankful to have lived another ten years. Someone once referred to age-related signs like wrinkles, droopy eyelids, and other unwelcome changes on our bodies as “birthday presents.” And that’s what they are: gifts from having lived longer.

I don’t have much control over how my body ages. However, I can continue to study God’s Word and learn more about Him. The Bible says as much: Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Cor. 4:16.

So maybe I look older on the outside, but you wouldn’t believe how much younger I am on the inside! But maybe it is time to get a new headshot anyway.

Which one do you like the best?