That Day I Surrendered
This isn’t easy, being brutally honest about how I was called out of my secular career in finance and into ministry, but I believe there is beauty in being up front and honest, especially to all my future World Race teammates, financial supporters, and family/friends.
I made the mistake of unconsciously shifting some of my identity into what I did.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved what I did and I was good at it.
But maybe I was starting to love what I did too much…
At the age of 25, I was actively managing high-net-worth client assets, tactically investing client investment portfolios. Unlike traditional brokerage accounts, we utilized a platform (“asset management”) where no commissions were charged, just a flat advisory fee. This enabled me to invest our client assets tactically, meaning more frequent.
So with some luck, some smarts, and some really good timing, I got our clients out of certain areas of the bond market prior to a historic sell-off in early to mid 2013. At the end of the day, our clients were the rare investors that profited from a historic sell off in the bond market.
I was enjoying what I was doing almost too much, however, and God was starting to make me realize there is much more to life then myself, work, and the stock and bond markets.
During the summer of 2013 I had the opportunity to speak with a gentleman from church who took us wake-boarding a few years back. He was talking about surrendering your life to Christ, even your plans and what you think you want in life.
I’ve known Christ and have had a relationship with Him since I was 19, but never really understood surrendering my plans to Him until speaking with him on the phone that one evening.
A few months later, I voluntarily resigned from my position at work and the next day I applied for the World Race. God was leading me (despite how confusing it was at the time) to leave the comfort of my career into something He wanted me to do for His glory.
I remember that day very clearly: my coworkers (and some friends) couldn’t believe I left my promising career to follow and serve Jesus. In the end though, what really matters is how we spend our life on this earth. In order to live a radical life, we need to make radical decisions in our faith.
