So, instead I'm going to focus on something much more fun, and that is the beginning of a series called Paychecks of the Heart. It's not going to be a regular series. I've learned my lesson. I know better than to try to commit to that. Just a whenever-I-feel-like-posting sort of series.
The very top leaders in my company wrote a book in honor of Mary Kay Ash entitled "Paychecks of the Heart." It is full of stories from National Sales Directors about the non-monetary rewards that they've experienced in building their businesses. The back of the book has several empty pages waiting for the owner of the book to fill in her own story.
I've got lots of them, and I haven't been writing them down, so I figured this was a good place to put them. There have been lots of times in my business when I have had the thought, "If nothing else came out of this business but this one thing, it all would've been worth it."
Beth's story was definitely one of those paychecks of the heart.
Another one came to me two weekends ago at our Spring Career Conference. Conferences are always a time of great fun and reunion, as I see lots of girlfriends I haven't seen for a long time. I always get squeezes from behind, only to turn around and squeal at whoever gave it to me in surprise and delight of a reunion.
Stacie was one of those. She came up to me and tugged on my hand and said, "hello!" with great enthusiasm! I hugged her back and we started catching up. Then, just before she left, she said, "I wanted to thank you. You don't know this, but last year at our meeting, when you talked about God so openly, you got me thinking about God and church. I started going back to church because of you and now our family is doing really well."
My mouth gaped open and I insisted on a picture with her. God is so amazing. It has not always been easy for me to speak easily and openly about God to strangers. Stories like this make me so glad that I've chosen to swallow my fear and say what's on my heart anyway.
Stephanie lit up my evening the other night the same way. I haven't seen her in years. Literally. She and I carpooled to a conference 3 or more years ago together and on the way home we talked a lot about her hurt, her medical struggles, her anger, and letting God in. I don't remember saying anything really profound. I just listened and I think I tried to encourage her to talk to the Lord and open her heart to Him. She was in the military and headed off to another state so I didn't hear from her again until just the other night. Stephanie has returned to Colorado Springs and she came up to me and hugged me and we started catching up.
She was glowing! She's expecting her first baby and she gave her life to Jesus a little while ago. The visible difference in her countenance is tremendous. She let me know that the conversation we had in the car on the way home really had an impact on her.
When I started this business six years ago, never in a million years did I dream of having the impact I've been able to have on women. I hardly had the courage to stand before a group of 5 women and teach them how to wash their face, let alone speak about God openly to women who aren't expecting to hear about Him. It just goes to show ya', practice really does make perfect.
I practice. He makes it perfect.
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