I Said No!

I am fortunate that I love the career I have chosen to support my family.  I get to work with numbers all day, I get to meet with great people, and I get to give lots of free advice.  I'm a CA, and anyone who knows anything about accounting knows that this time of year gets stupidly busy.

Even though I love what I do, I've had a nagging feeling, or maybe a nagging from the Holy Spirit, that God has bigger plans for me in His kingdom, and while accounting is great to pay the bills, it's not serving His Purpose.  Of course, I'm still waiting for the dream in which I am hanging out with Jesus and he tells me, "Jo, your Purpose is......." - somehow I don't think that's going to happen.  What I do know is that every time I have accepted a new client in the past few months, a little voice says, "Do you really need another client?  Don't you have enough?  Where do I fit in if you become consumed with work?"  It seems as if there is a neverending supply of people out there who need accountants, and I was starting to worry that if I didn't start saying no to people, that I was going to become one of those accountants that I always complain about - accountants who don't have time to give great service, accountants who lose track of who their clients are, accountants who don't seem to care. 

I was also worried that work was going to start consuming my life again, like it did when I worked in the city, and I sure didn't want to relive that nightmare!

But last night, I received a phone call from someone who needed their taxes done, and without thinking, I just said, "Unfortunately, I've taken on all of the clients I can this year."  There!  Done!  No lightning bolts shot down from the sky, the house didn't rumble and shake, my head didn't explode, I just said no, and that's it.

I felt a little guilty afterwards, but then, driving to pick up Elizabeth from gymnastics, the message become loud and clear:  You will now have enough time for Me.  You will now have enough time for your Mission.  I have put certain people in your path to show you how much you can care.  Time to get to work.

I have lived too long in a life where work has defined me, where a new client feeds my ego (they want ME!), where work makes me feel important.  I still love what I do, but I do it to pay the bills, and there is so much more to be done. 

Wow God, you sure work in amazing ways!