blessings come with responsibility

I'm glad the warmer weather is here! It's great to be able to sit outside on the balcony in the evening and read or bring the laptop out and surf the net. It's not silent out here, I can hear the rush of traffic a half mile away on Fountain Blvd, the hum of the a/c units, and the giggles and gleeful cheers of newly-liberated school aged children playing nearby. There's something so peaceful, though, about watching the sun set and stars appear, even as the noise and busyness of the day draws to a slow close. Even when the rest of the world is moving, God brings me into this strangely still place.

Last year I hardly sat on my deck. I holed up in the cool air of the climate controlled bedroom most of the summer. I wasn't as happy. I didn't have purpose in what I was doing, and I wasn't adequately supporting myself. I know I shouldn't derive my happiness from my job, my income, or my employer, but I let those things become a major factor in determining my happiness.

This year my life is 180 degrees from what it was last year, success-wise. I am one of three salespeople that, along with sharp new management, has helped to take an off-track health insurance agency that had a third party fulfillment service that was upsetting prospective clients and losing existing policyholders like the Plague had just swept over town to the number one producing new broker in the state for many of our contracted carriers. Aside from a generous compensation and benefits package, my new employer values my opinion. VPs and managers have regularly asked for my opinion on important decisions, and in many cases have actually taken my advice as they've acted on those decisions. Our partners currently market our products to 700,000 salespeople in their field force, and with the partners who've just signed on with us, that number will increase fivefold within the year. It's finally all good on the work front, but I'm learning that with the success comes responsibility.

David said to his son, Solomon:

11 "Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. 12 May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

I'm learning that I have much more responsibility than ever before. It comes with the territory, but I never realized it. I have a responsibility to everyone who calls in for a quote. As ridiculous as some caller's requests seem (the lady on 5 psychotropic medications who demanded guaranteed approval coverage NOW that would pay for her $800 a month pharmacy bill, the mom who inquired if any of our dental plans would cover a root canal her son had LAST WEEK, or the young dad who wanted health insurance coverage for his family for LESS than $30 a month), they are all important. More importantly, I have a responsibility to my applicants. They lay one of the most important financial decisions they will make on an annual basis at my feet. Not only that, but I've got to find the best coverage with the carrier that will give them the best coverage for their conditions at the best possible price. It's not always an easy task, but it's an important one.

As I was just writing, I thought of Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I guess I should be expecting to have more expected of me in the future.