The reason I'm not passionate about photography.

Fairly recently, I saw a photographer who was talking about her business.

I have never met her in person, so this video was my first impression and gave me a general idea of her life.

In her speaking, she said the word passionate a couple different times. 

She said she was passionate about teaching other people how to run a successful photography business.

It stood out to me, because I feel like I hear it a lot when photographer make reference to their work. 

Or to printed images. Or to photography in general.

And here's where I'm out.

I'm not passionate about photography.

Sorry, peeps.

(Click here if you would like to un-book me as your upcoming wedding or family photographer! ha!

But sorry if you actually clicked there because it wasn't for real.)

Don't get me wrong. I love photography. I love shooting. I love capturing families together, and babies smiling and couples getting married. 

I love it all.

But I am just not passionate about it.

Passionate means expressing strong emotions or beliefs.

I do not have strong beliefs about a picture of a mom and her son.

But you know what I do have a strong belief about?

That relationship with a mom and her son.

Totally different. I mean totally.

I am not going to spend hours figuring out how to capture them just right when I could spend hours writing and encouraging that mom on how to build a solid relationship with her son!

This is why I have honestly come to the point in my life where I am not even marketing my business at all, or getting stressed about whether I have bookings or I don't.

I mean, I'm not being lazy. I do think it's important to do things well, and to run things professionally. I think it is God-honoring to run a successful business!

But I just don't want to invest so much time and money into something that I am not passionate about!

I don't want to invest thousands of dollars on workshops. I don't want to invest hours and hours of time on perfecting my website and updating my gear.

I do believe you can be passionate about more than one thing at at time.

I am beyond passionate about relationships... Good, healthy, godly relationships.

I am passionate about teaching parents how to raise godly children.

I am passionate about helping people understand their need for Jesus.

I am passionate about teaching teenagers how to be leaders.

I am passionate about serving others.

I am passionate about ice cream. Whoops...how did that slip in there?

I am passionate about being so busy serving that I don't have time to be complaining.

I am passionate about my relationship with God.

So again. I do believe you can be passionate about more than one thing at a time.

But still. 

I don't want to ever get so caught up in my other *still important* but not as important things, that I suddenly realize I haven't shared the Gospel with someone lately.

I don't want to spend so much time perfecting my website that I realize that I haven't left any hours left in the day to serve.

I don't want to get so busy making sure I am capturing that family session in just the right lighting and just the right composition that I stop encouraging a mom in how to raise those kids.

I want to be so passionate about the things that have eternal value that everything else about my business and the less important things in life just kind of follow along.

And that is where I'm at right now.

I am realizing the truth of this verse.

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Do you get the order there?

Where I invest my money the most...that's where my heart is going to be.

Not the other way around.

When I start losing focus of that very fact I have got to slow myself down.

I think it's the same with my time.

If I invest hours and hours and hours of time into something? That's where my heart goes.

I get it. 

Photographs are priceless. And I believe it.

That's why I just put a big order in for pictures of my family to hang on the wall.

I think it's important.

But it is not the most important.

What are you passionate about?

Where is your treasure? 

Make sure you aren't getting side tracked and becoming passionate about the wrong things...

The kinds of things that aren't going to last.

So the reason I'm not passionate about photography? 

Because I'm way more passionate about my relationship with God and finding out what He wants me to be spending my time doing.

And actually? I think that can make my photography even better!