In my last post (you really need to read it!), I explained how Pastor Julio, a man I had just met, had listened to my story about following God’s lead in my family business. He listened to me tell him how I knew I was on the right path and committed to it regardless of the cost. He paid attention while I described the hardship I was enduring. Then he asked if he could give me some advice.
Have you ever made a significant decision to follow God’s lead to do something out of the ordinary? Have you ever taken a large risk because you knew down deep that God was calling you to do it? If so, were you willing to persevere even when the path turned difficult? Did you decide to dig down and stick it out no matter what happened, because you just knew you were on the right path?
Years ago, I lost a good friend and exceptional employee. He was 46 years old and died of a heart attack in front of me at work. Shortly after that, I lost another friend and employee of another dealership at age 42. He was in a motorcycle accident. We lost another great employee the next year. He would have turned 22 years old the next day, but he committed suicide. Sadly, these situations are not all that uncommon.
I regularly get the privilege of welcoming new employees into our company. As part of our orientation and new hire training process, I go over our company history (three generations!) along with a deep dive of our company’s mission, vision, and core values statements.
In business, we are constantly being tested. Whether it is tough personnel decisions, investment opportunities, or even when hiring new team members, we are consistently challenged to have the right answer. For Christian business leaders, I think there might be more to each test than we realize.
Writing a blog can be a dangerous undertaking! No, there have not been any threats on my life or people coming after me because of something I have said. The danger is not actually a physical one, but a spiritual one. Instead of finding myself in peril, the problem is one of theory versus application.
Have you ever been to the beach on vacation? One popular activity with children is to build sand castles down near the water. You will sometimes find the parents helping them, but more often the parents are sitting back watching or reading a book. I believe it is a subconscious dislike of meaningless work that causes this. Have you considered that?
A couple of great friends of mine visited the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove for a Corporate Chaplains training conference. One of them told me about the various displays at the center and the interesting facts about Graham’s ministry. As he talked, I thought about how I would love to have the impact that Billy Graham has had for eternity.
So your issue is this: “If I run my business according to my Christian faith, won’t that offend customers? I cannot take that risk.”If you are seriously considering any Christian connection to your business, then this is certainly a question that has come up.
Sitting on the balcony overlooking the beach on Fathers’ Day yesterday morning, I witnessed a seemingly insignificant event. It grabbed my attention. I think it was because of recent and recurring headlines around infidelity and broken trust. As I watched pure trust exhibited by a four-year-old little girl, my heart broke for those who have had it shattered or taken away.