Day 14- Jamie's Story

Facebook is a pretty amazing thing. I have reconnected with some wonderful people that are now a part of my every day life, near and far. People whom I never would have had a chance to reunite with, but I did and all with a Friend Request. One of them is Jamie Shepherd and I feel very fortunate that she is sharing some of her story of faith with us. I get to hear parts of her ongoing story all the time and I am always inspired.

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Some of My Story...

I used to be a pretty big believer in accomplishments. I was raised in a town where everybody seemed to have more than us. By the time I graduated College I had become very fond of the idea of independence, success and climbing the corporate ladder to get there. So you can imagine my dismay when I ended up in Maui selling souvenirs to tourists minus one corporate ladder. Oh the things you do for love! Hawaii isn’t an easy to place to make a living. But I had committed to this adventure and was determined to make it work.

What I appreciate most about my God, other than salvation, is that he knows my heart. While I was grumbling about my situation the Lord was preparing me for the journey of a lifetime, and I’m sure laughing at me a little along the way. What I didn’t mention is that the souvenirs that I was selling to tourists were local handmade jewelry. Jewelry that I would eventually learn to make myself but with my own twist. I ended up spending several years with that company and without realizing it I left equipped to run my own. I went on to work as an assistant to a fashion designer. And while I thought the job with the fashion designer was my answered prayer it was really just another stepping stone. It’s interesting for me to look back and play connect the dots with my life. God was now using that designer to teach me a little bit about fashion, just as he used my boss before to teach me a little bit about business. Can you see where this is going? Pretty soon I started making my own jewelry and selling it while I was at work right off of my neck.

When my jewelry invoices to my boss became larger than my paychecks I realized that it was time to regroup. While at bible study one day I said a prayer asking the Lord to deliver a particular bible verse to me to confirm that I was headed in the right direction. I just about fell out of my chair when he did just that all of thirty seconds later. So I went home and sat down with my incredible husband to do the math of what it would take to start a company. And then we prayed over that impossible number. A few hours later I got a phone call from my boss informing me that she would have to cut back on my hours. I remember thinking, “Are you kidding me?” I felt like Peter when Jesus was instructing him to get out of the boat. I could hear him loud and clear but how exactly did he expect me to move forward? But of course he had a plan for that too. Later that night we went out to dinner with some friends who informed us that the Lord had put on their hearts in invest in us. And so I heard it again but this time a little more stern, “GET OUT OF THE BOAT!”

I won’t lie, it took a few days for me to say yes, but eventually I did. After much prayer and a little fasting we signed a lease for an extremely over priced teeny tiny kiosk filled with my designs. I was so nervous that first day. But by the afternoon when my new landlord came by to check on me I had a line of women on both sides of me.

I’ve moved that location several times until I found a home at The Grand Wailea, which is a whole other story of faith. I’ve been in business for three years now. The company is called Sophie Grace Maui, named after our daughter. And then just a few months ago somebody else invested in me, my Mom. So now she and I have a flagship store in Paia, Maui as well. I still think that it’s silly that people are buying my things. But I’m thankful.

I promise that walking on water is the hardest thing that you will ever do. I cry often, but it keeps me on my knees close to the Lord. I have to constantly remind myself to not look down. The thing with faith is that the journey of it never ends. Just because you have learned to have it today doesn’t mean that you won’t have to learn to have it again tomorrow. I hope that through it all my daughter learns something about family, hope, faith and keeping your eyes on Jesus. And maybe a little about business too.

God Paid attention to the part of me that needed success to feel whole and through that he changed it. My priorities and purpose have shifted and that’s the biggest blessing of all. I’ve learned that as long as I make business choices based on family priorities then I’m where I should be. The best piece of advice that I can give someone looking to live on faith is to pay attention to what’s in front of you. God’s plan probably involves just that.

Jamie Shepherd