Doing business God's way | Columbia wedding photographer

Let's take a moment to be honest with ourselves as photographers. What's the best part about this job? Is it seeing two people love each other? Is it making your own hours? Is it being creative? Those things are great but the reality is that it's the ability to do something you love and make money doing it. We have found something not everyone in this world can find- a talent we possess that not only we enjoy, but that we can profit from. Some of us profit a little, some of us profit a lot, but the reality is we have developed a skill, and we can control when we use it, how we use it, and we can profit from it. THAT'S the best part about this job!Money can do some really awful things. Making a lot of money very quickly can change a person. It can make you arrogant, it can make you greedy. The reality is that money isn't going to give us joy. Sure, it gives us happiness, but happiness is temporary. God has always taught us through scripture not to seek happiness in our earthly life, but rather joy. Joy comes from God, it doesn't come from a check.We live in a world where sin has never been so welcomed, so normal. To be a Kingdom driven entrepreneur in these times is hard, and I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do that on my path. I attribute the (in my opinion) insane amount of success to this business entirely to the Lord. I have been in business for two years and four months, and the amount of clients, bookings, and income I gain is nothing short of INSANE to me! I know without any shadow of a doubt of the times in my recent years where God has spoken to me as I've sat lost, scared, unhappy. I have left those moments with undoubted messages from God- plenty of times with nothing- but a few times with a response in some form. One of the most influential recently was "Have I not always taken care of you?". It was a simple 8 word message that followed an entire day of prayer, worship and tears. And I got that and I dropped my sandwich and called my best friend and sobbed. And I was left with peace. Because that's what God does for me- he brings me joy where I would not have it, and he brings me peace when I cannot find it. I can't imaging running this business without those two things because I would be consumed by fear, fear of things I often would have no control over. Worries that would make me question my decisions in this business. Negative feelings that would rob me of any happiness my business may give me. God takes my struggles so that I don't have to.Running a business the way God desires doesn't mean not charging fairly. God WANTS us to be successful. He doesn't desire us to be poor, he wants us to become great in our endeavors and we can't do that without profiting! He has plans for us greater than we could ever fathom, and I really don't care what salary that entails. My joy comes from God and not from my paycheck. But that doesn't mean I need to work hard for free, or for pennies.On the opposite hand, God doesn't want me to cling to my money as if it holds an importance in my life. In Matthew 19:24 Jesus said it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person who can’t let go to enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus couldn’t be more clear on the sin of having the love of money rooted in your heart. Now I like money, I like the things money can buy me, but I am also trying to make a conscious effort of reminding myself where this money came from. Who opened these doors for me? How can I show my gratitude? What can I do?I can show my thanks by doing good works with my profits that I have been blessed with, by tithing my money to my church, and by not desperately clinging to my money for security. I made that decision earlier this year and was ridiculously blessed shortly after making it and publicly professing it. These are not coincidences, they never have been. Money is NOT the root of all evil; it is the LOVE of money, not money itself. Sometimes I slip because I'm human, and I start to love money, or feel the need for more money, more stuff. I have to work on this all the time, I have to center myself and be alone with prayer, or an audio CD, and get back in to the mindset I should be in. It's a work in progress.I try to ask myself as often as I can, is what I'm currently doing a reflection of selfishness? of greed in any way? If it is, I evaluate. This means I share as much information as I can with other photographers, that's one way I have found to give back to my community. I am an open book, always have been, and enjoy being able to help others in their journey while I walk mine.I try to find my people. There is nothing like knowing you are in a crowd of people who share your values, support you, lift you up, and CHEER for your success! Surround yourself with these people and be that for them!Ask yourself- are YOU doing business God's way? Think for a minute about your intentions, your goals, your plans. You will instantly know if you are walking a Godly path or not when you really evaluate it from His point of view. If you aren't getting a good vibe off of your own answers, look hard into the above stuff, you need to feel good about the legacy you leave and your moment of entering God's kingdom, the choices you've made and the intentions you've had.“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).Without Him I can do nothing. And I am 150% positive I could not successfully do this with a good head on my shoulders without God. I just wanted to share some thoughts that have been on my mind today after listening to my latest audio CD! Which is You & Me Forever, a book that is kind of based on marriage, but not so much your marriage over your walk with Christ and making sure you're focusing on the bigger picture- eternity and not temporary happiness in your relationships. Work relationships count too! Check it out if you need to feel refreshed!