You Never Know...

You never know what kind of influence you are having on people, I know I certainly don't. Since I've quit my "real" job, and started house/pet sitting full time, I have had more people come up to me or email me and say, "You have really inspired me, and gotten me to thinking about changing my life to a job that I love." I had a good friend tell me this over the weekend while I was home that she wanted to open a bakery, and then last night, someone at church said his wife wants to start her own business in doing hair for elderly people and shut ins. You know, I don't really think about influencing the people around me all that much until someone says something to me like this. I was driving home last night just thanking God for using me to influence people in a good way. When I have people say to me, "Your faith amazes me.", it completely humbles me because I am not perfect, I still doubt that God will take care of me, I still have weak areas in my life, I'm still...a sinner. My life has not always been a "ray of sunshine", and I've not had a close relationship with God in the past like I should have. Like everyone else, I've had my rough patches or "a past" as we say, and times when I didn't even feel like trying to be a Christian anymore. What was the point when every relationship I had always failed, friends and boyfriends! Satan started filling my head with lies making me think I was worthless and not good enough. Telling me, "Just give up, Julie!! You fail at everything you do!!" I went through some really dark times, and depression set in just a few years ago, but thank God He has opened my eyes to show me I AM worth something, and He can make something of me if I'd just trust Him and let Him. I've surrendered everything to Him, even relationships as I feel I can serve God better through singleness. My relationship with God is stronger now than it has probably ever been in my life. I do not ever want to go back to those dark times of when I couldn't even see God. I have failed miserably at being one of God's children, but I know He has forgiven me, and He welcomed me back with open arms. Praise God for that! I know that God is using me when I hear people coming to me saying how I've inspired them to do something else with their lives. I tell people that life is too short to be miserable, and for me? It was time to get out of the corporate grind. There are so many people hurting and who need help while I'm sitting in an office making a big fat 401K to retire on. Really? God has called us to be so much more than robots, and that's what I felt I was becoming at my job and life. I'm now happier than I've ever been, I no longer feel enslaved to the world because I'm doing what I want to do with my life, not because this is what you're supposed to do. And I love helping people out who don't want to take their pets to the vet to board. I live by faith now, and not by Jewels. It has made all the difference in the world to me and my life. It's not easy, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I still doubt from time to time, but then God whispers to me, "Stop doubting! I've got this!!" As for me, I'm just Jewels, love me or hate me, what you see is what you get. I'm just a messed up girl who has been cleansed and forgiven by the blood of Christ, and I just pray He uses me to touch people in bigger ways than I could ever imagine! To those of you who I've inspired, I thank you for your kind words. It's not me though, that's just God working through me. He is the One inspiring you. :-) He is the reason I am who I am, and I long for a deeper relationship with Him daily. My advice is if you're miserable in a job or life right now, change it. Change what you do, and do what makes YOU happy, don't do what the world tells you are supposed to do. Life is too short to be miserable, and we are never guaranteed tomorrow! The change begins with YOU!! Who or what is holding you back? Take a leap of faith and just TRUST!! God's got you!!