To Chase, Or Not To Chase The Wind...

Today I decided to revisit one of my favorite books of the Bible ~ Ecclesiastes. I was craving something particularly deep and hard hitting, and knew that Solomon's thoughts on the meaning of life wouldn't let me down. Sure enough, There were several verses in chapters 5 and 6 which really kind of spoke to where I am right now. Let's see if you can guess the theme by the end of the sequence, shall we?

"Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it." (5:12)

"People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night's sleep." (5:12)

"People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born." (5:15)

"And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life - that is indeed a gift from God." (5:19)

"Enjoy what you have instead of desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it's like chasing the wind." (6:9)

Yup - hopefully you were able to guess that I've been pondering the difference between earning money and feeling like you are spending your time doing something worthwhile. I realize it is quite possible to do both. However, I rarely enjoy myself when I'm working for money alone.

Now that my photography business is starting to take off, I've been told by several close friends that I'm severely under-charging for my work. "If you charge a lot of money, people will believe that you are worth it! It's all about confidence!" I realize that I am charging a lot less than most other photographers do, and will probably need to raise my prices in the coming months in order to make any kind of profit. However, I really, truly don't care about the money. I'm just happy to have people who want me to take their pictures! I also know myself, and fear that if the money really started to roll it I'd easily get sidetracked and focus more on that than I should. Money is so addicting, but it rarely makes me happy. James makes enough for both of us to live comfortably, and that's all we really need. I think it is more important for me to devote my time to serving and making others happy. That is one of the few things on this earth that is not "utterly meaningless like chasing the wind..."