Success, I guess?

Well, that first year with Allstate started out very slow and ended up at a very hectic pace. Frieda and I accumulated hundreds of prospects over the phone and I ended up writing over 400 policies in 9 months. I was awarded by the Western Territory as " 1986 Rookie of the Year". I described prospecting to many of my fellow agents as nothing more than faith. Sales were the "Substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen" and that faithfulness and commitment was my part in the process of faith. After all, that was my directive from the Lord. It was kind of cool to see things happen so quickly and yet I can attest that the long hours really did pay off. I remember receiving my award at the Agents annual awards meeting. I also won a trip for Dar and I to Bermuda and so that was a very good year for me.

Was this what God wanted for me or was He teaching me something about faithfulness? I didn't try to figure all that out back then. I just accepted the fact that consistent hard work produced good results. This was a whole new world for me. I started to see the insurance business as a vehicle that could utilize my talent and also benefit my family. I was free to be creative and make decisions. I was able to experiment without apprehension. I knew after that first year that this was just the beginning of my success story with Allstate. I was going to make a mark for sure. I knew that my time had come in the insurance business.

Those were very exciting days and my ministry desire wanned a bit but never really left. Even at the peak of my success I would often wish that I was being recognized somewhere by the church instead of the insurance business. This is when I realized that God's impact on my life would never leave me. No matter how much success I enjoyed in the world it truly paled in comparison to the excitement that I had serving Him as I did in those days back in Follansbee.

Success? I guess, but the deepest joy was reserved only for Him. I became spiritually dull at the time but I could always count on His faithfulness to keep me in line.

Next up.....

The Vineyard