My family owns a construction business. Out of necessity, I became the Office Manager/Secretary/Bookkeeper. I have no background in or knowledge of accounting. I failed economics 101in college. But there I was at some point in the forgotten past, with a new box of Quickbooks business accounting software that I installed and set out to learn. Not knowing anything, I set up accounts and items and lists and classes (???) in the way that seemed best to me. The Bible verse that comes to mind here is Proverbs 14:12. "There is a way that seems right to a man, (or an ignorant bookkeeper) but its end is the way to death."
There come times when I am required to present the information that I've entered in Quickbooks to an authority, like, say, the IRS. If I had given them my reports, they would have...what? Laughed in my face? Thrown me in jail? Definitely not accepted my work. Fortunately, we had a CPA who was able to take my input and "translate" it into the company financial statements as they needed to be. They covered for my ignorance and waywardness. It occurred to me that this was like my salvation. Jesus "translates" my life into something acceptable to the Father. I could have kept this set up the rest of my working days.
Recently, we changed accountants. This new accountant is appalled that I have not been instructed in how to correctly set up and enter information. She is a teacher at heart, and has begun to gently instruct, rebuke, correct, and train me (see 2 Timothy 3:16). I'm finding that I must see some things differently than before, change the way I do things, drop some old habits and take up some new ones. There are things in Quickbooks history that must be edited and redone. Sort of a healing.
It's hard! It's quite painful! It's time consuming! Sometimes I would rather just take the easy way out. But I won't. I want to be the best Office Manager/Secretary/Bookkeeper I can be.
Well done, good and faithful Quickbooks User.
