It usually tends to happen the same way every time; I meet with a new couple, we sit…have coffee…talk about their upcoming wedding…and then it comes.  The question.  How did you get into photography?  Or, it can be found among the first few lines of an email from a peer or a student; what led you to photography?  It’s also happening on a daily basis right now in regards to my writing; how did you get here?  What makes you want to write?  And as far as answers go, this is an easy one.  God.  God led me to photography.  God made me a writer.  My God and my faith led me to this life.  But as far as delicate topics go…it’s not so simple.  It seldom ever is.

I had an interesting conversation with someone a few years back about the topic of blogs and what’s considered “acceptable” to discuss withing their parameters.  The opinion being shared with me was that blogs are like any other “casual” conversation, which means that religion and politics should be strictly off-limits.  This seems like a fair enough view to me except for one major issue; I don’t believe that God and religion are the same thing!!!

(And more importantly, it’s my blog…so I can do whatever I want!!)

So, since I have just thrown the giant “G-word” out there for all to see, I think this is as good a time as any to explain myself before we delve into this much deeper…

My relationship with God is my faith.  It encompasses every moment of my day…every breath of my life.  It existed long before I was even really able to understand what I was a part of.  Religion, on the other hand, is the institution in which I choose to share and celebrate that faith.  As far as my convictions go, I don’t believe that these two terms are interchangeable as one does not require the other in order to exist.  Many people go to church without truly knowing God, while many sincerely spiritual people have never stepped foot in a church.  Ever.  This, in my humble opinion, makes faith and religion two very different things.

So, having said that, I am here, bringing faith to the table…not religion.  I’m not going to lie…God’s my friend and I kind of like Him!  We get along pretty well (most of the time!) and to discuss my life or my views or my passions without including His contributions to it wouldn’t really be sincere…or true…or genuine.  It wouldn’t be telling the whole story.  Hence, it’s only fitting that you would also find God living here, among the words that I write,  just as He can be found intertwined among the moments of my life.  Because it’s really His story that I’m telling, so it seems rude to tell a story without acknowledging the original author!  You get where I’m coming from…right?!?!

Which brings me back to my frequently asked question…

I kind of wish that I had a really cool story or tale of triumph that preceded my journey to this moment, but the truth of it is…it was God!  His plan was bigger than mine (thankfully!), which might explain why I’ve kept torn out magazine pages since high school because I love the pictures too much.  Or why I need the written word the way I need oxygen.  God’s funny that way; subtle, nudging, gentle.  And other times He’s not!  Which, ultimately, is what is required sometimes when you find yourself trying to lead a really stubborn girl like myself in the right direction!!  I can be a lot like Jacob at times…always wrestling with God in the desert, only to find myself walking around with nothing to show for it except a bruised ego and a few battle wounds.  But eventually, God won in the end…He always does.

I’m a lot less of a fighter now.  Instead of sitting in the desert trying to prove my point…God and I hang out…have coffee…play scrabble from time to time.  We negotiate a bit more.  I’m more open to His plan and He promises to ease me into them slowly (sometimes, not so slowly…right Facebook?!?!).   He promised to talk more if I promised to shut up and listen more!  I follow Him on Twitter and He’s one of my biggest fans!  What can I say…He’s my BFF!

And that, my friends…is how I got here.  Nothing romantic.  Nothing fancy.  Just me…battling it out with the big guy.  And losing!