Karen Wilson left her full-time law practice this summer to pursue her passion: Devoting time to church ministries like supporting marriages and families and calling on those who were sick, grieving or hospitalized.
She also wanted to write. “I never really knew for sure what I was supposed to write — whether factor or non-fiction of some sort — but I did know that God had given me the written gift of gab,” she said.
In the past couple of years, it became clear to her that “I must write for the purpose of glorifying God, pointing people to Christ, and challenging, encouraging and inspiring myself and others to look more like Jesus today than we did yesterday.”
Her decision to quit her full-time practice — she’d been an associate attorney with Timmons Law PC – required a financial sacrifice. She and her husband, Mike Wilson, a pastor at First Christian Church, sold their home and downsized to a smaller, older house.
“It was primarily for those reasons — to be more of a pastor’s wife and less of an attorney, and to write about things that make an eternal difference — that I left the full-time practice of law,” she said.
She still works part-time as an attorney from home to help provide for her family, but has limited her practice to estate planning.
After much soul searching about what she wanted her life to count for, “I decided my priorities were to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love my neighbor as myself.”
She also knew that time is a precious commodity. “Because life is so uncertain, I knew if I wanted my life to matter I needed to align my priorities with my passion now, while I still had the strength, health and energy to do so, not when and if I retired.”
Several factors led to her life-changing decision.
First, a few years ago she read the aptly titled, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” by John Piper. It took a few chapters before she was hooked. But in chapter 5, “Piper discussed why risk for the cause of Christ was right.”
One particular quote was inspiring: “[W]hen the trifling fog of life clears and I see what I am really on earth to do, I groan over the petty pursuits that waste so many lives – and so much of mine.”
Piper wrote about the extensive time spent earning more money than is needed to live, and time spent on the Internet, watching TV and participating in and watching sports. “Like Piper, I wanted to make my life count for something more than comfort and worldly success — something God-exalting and eternal.
“I didn’t want to treat Jesus as nothing more than a helpful addition to life on my terms. Instead, I wanted the world to see that he is real, that he loves me and them, and that he is the all-satisfying king of love, grace and mercy.”
Then another life-changing event: A bible study hiking trip to Israel that Wilson and her husband took in June 2014.
“After my decision to follow Christ, this was the single most defining experience of my life,” she said.
“Our head, heart, hands and feet immersion in the Holy Land changed me forever. The Bible came alive in 3D, HD, brilliant color. Now, it is my living water and I cannot survive without the wisdom, hope, encouragement and love that this book delivers.”
“Compared to the mission of sharing this living water with the lost and thirsty people God has placed me in relationship with, drafting air-tight business and legal contracts left me dry and wanting.”
Finally, about a year ago she read a book by Randy Alcorn entitled “The Treasure Principle.”
“Whether you are a Christian or not, this little book has the potential to challenge and change the way you do the business of life,” Wilson said.
One “pearl” from the book, she said, was the quote: “One of our central spiritual decisions is determining what is a reasonable amount to live on. Whatever that amount is, we shouldn’t hoard or spend the excess. The rest of the money God gives us is needed by others.”
In Israel, Wilson said they were challenged to be like David, who defeated Goliath by using a skill God gave him — accurately throwing a rock — so that the whole world would know there was a God.
“While the story was familiar to us, the message we heard at this time in our lives, in this place where the patriarchs of our faith and our savior once walked, rocked us to the core, encouraging us not to shrink back in fear, but to boldly step up and use the gifts God had given us not just for our own benefit, but for his kingdom purposes.”
Preparing legal documents did not make God known to others, or draw people to him, Wilson said. “Excellent legal writing merely served to build my own reputation as a competent attorney,” she said. “I wanted to live a life and leave a legacy that pointed others to Christ, not to me and my expertise. It was time to throw my stinkin’ rock.”
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.