Rich Jackson had built a successful career in the financial services industry when he had a paradigm shift that changed him forever. After attending a faith at work conference, he realized that there was a purpose to his life beyond providing excellent care to his clients, and that he had the ability to be a missionary without leaving everything in his current life.

Rich started a business in insurance right out of college and quickly discerned that he wanted to expand to financial services. He says “by the end of 2002, I was kind of tired of being called the insurance guy. I wanted to expand. So in early 2003, I got more into the financial services industry. My business broadened out to include investments, retirement plans, etc. From that point, I’ve been running a financial planning business for the last 20 years for my clients and helping them accomplish the things that they’re trying to accomplish and helping them align their dollars with what matters most to them.”

The financial services industry has a high turnover rate, to which Rich says: “I had a friend who gave me the advice not to quit before the blessing. And really what that was is that you get to a point where you have worked hard enough to develop something and realize that you can make it and you’re not just surviving for a day: that you’ve got something that is sustainable. And I had done that. My first two children were born and, at the same time, my spiritual life was coming alive. I realized that Jesus was beginning to convert me. At the same time I am making real money and I’m sustainable in the financial services industry. But I feel the Lord telling me, this is not it, this is not what it’s all about.”

What changed in that moment was that Rich’s actual job didn’t change, but his perspective did. He states “it reaffirmed for me who God is. He’s a useful God and He’s not wasteful in any way. It was a really powerful moment for me to be able to realize that I could be on a mission with Jesus and I could do it in the same exact context that I was the week before.”

Rich shares a story of how, shortly after his new realization, he had the opportunity to turn revelation into action. He says: “just because mentally you decide that you can operate differently doesn’t mean that it’s going to be comfortable right away. And I had probably had a couple of missed opportunities where God said, ‘here’s a lay up’, and I just kind of didn’t shoot the ball. I had been convicted that I just needed to do this. And so I had made this commitment to myself and to God that the next time one of those doors opens, I’m just going to go right through it. I’m going to let people know the reason for my hope and tell them about Jesus. And so I go to a lunch with a former colleague. In the middle of that, there was just this little subtle opening that he showed about his personal life. And I just kind of walk through it. I explained how my family had been positively changed as our relationship with Jesus was maturing and how that had changed my entire perspective on how to how to be a better husband and how to be a better father. And what that was doing to my business. I left that lunch feeling so excited.”

He continues: “And I thought it was over. I didn’t know that, about an hour later, when I was back in my office that my phone would ring. It was that same individual. He said, ‘Can we talk?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely, what do you want to talk about?’ He said, ‘Well, I haven’t talked to anybody since before my father died about spiritual things, about Jesus. The last time I had a conversation, I had a falling out with the church in general.’ We spent over 2 hours on a on a phone call just talking about how Jesus had changed my life and and how I wanted that for him. I’ll never forget that. There are plenty of other stories I could share with you along the way, but that one would be the first one where I could say, if we’re obedient to Him, He has a way of showing us what those blessings really look like.” True blessings. Those that go way beyond the financial.

Rich Jackson lives in Cincinnati with his wife and family. His company is Jackson Wealth Strategies.