Faith in Business

I took a walk with Josh, a friend and fellow business owner, around the town of Zeeland. Josh and I had been getting together for what I coined “strategic strolls”. We talked a lot about business and strategy but on this particular day, our conversation centered around faith. Josh is a former pastor and now a full time entrepreneur and head of a business he created called David & Brook. The name of his firm integrates his faith and his belief that a small player can have a big impact in the field of business. Much like the famous story of the young brave shepherd boy named David who took down a giant with a single stone pulled from a brook.  

Josh and I discussed a number of topics that afternoon, but there was one that resonated above the others that day - the integration of faith with business. Below are my recollections from our afternoon stroll along with some additional thoughts I had after percolating on our conversation.

How does one integrate faith with business? At times, perhaps most times, they seem so separated and siloed from each other. We compartmentalize our faith from business on most days, do we not? Is that wrong? It can feel wrong, or at best inconsistent. Maybe not being conscious of God every moment of our day, is okay. Perhaps this feeling that we are cheating God by not being God-aware always, on all days, is baggage God never intended us to carry.

The great 18th century pastor, Charles Spurgon, addressed this very thing in one of his sermons - he talked about how it is not practical to be conscious of God throughout the entirety of our day. He provided a great word picture of a pheasant hunter walking through a field with his dog. For a good part of the afternoon they just walked together and then out of nowhere, the dogs would pick up the scent and chase the pheasants, causing them to fly upward out of their hidden place in the field. Spurgon likened this to our awareness of God, expressing that it is not wrong to not be conscious of God, because God is always subconsciously with us, residing in the field of our mind and heart throughout our day. And just like the pheasants giving flight, we too become aware of him at unexpected times and in those moments, we can turn our gaze upward for a few glorious moments of recognition of that which always was... God with us.

Conscious awareness of our savior is perhaps akin to becoming aware of each breath we are taking, yet not being aware of it doesn’t mean we aren’t breathing!  Awareness is not a prerequisite to our breath, but hold your breath for longer than a few moments and you quickly realize and appreciate this life-giving involuntary respiration.   

Spurgon’s words provide relief by putting our awareness of God in a practical context. 

Side note: while this clears the air on awareness, it doesn’t give us a get-of-God-free card. In other words, the command to seek him with all our heart, mind, and strength is still very much a part of our duty as his followers. Being in the bible, praying, & seeking should be part of our daily rhythms and by the way, those rhythms, I believe, cause the pheasant to give flight more often throughout our day.  

What about the business of planning, strategizing, going about our business of business? Josh believes we have the permission to do and to plan without having to lay everything at God’s feet waiting for his confirmation. I agree. Like a small child looks for direction from her parents, but doesn’t ask for permission to take each step. This reminded us of a passage in James that addresses business dealings... 

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it’s the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NIV)

James (Jesus’s brother) is saying that we can plan our days and pick our ways but he put in a caveat “if it’s the Lord’s will…” On one hand, this is really great - use your brain, tap into your education, read the tea leaves and go make money! But wait! Before you leave and head off to the land of profit, be sure to say, “if it’s the Lord’s will.” I am the first to admit I have not always followed this practical, powerful, advice.

This is a very short, but extremely powerful prayer. It’s a nice reminder that we are finite with limited vision. God, on the other hand, can see our future and steer us clear of wayward paths or a pothole in the path we’re on. Not to mention the potholes in our motives. 

So, to stay in the center of God’s will, say this simple five-word prayer before moving forward with your plans. By praying it, we not only agree that we suffer from nearsightedness, we also allow him to adjust, alter, and recalibrate our lives. Omit this prayer and we are on our own. Perhaps akin to a child preparing a meal under the parents watchful eye. When the parent is there, glass is moved back from the countertop edge, fingers are pulled back from the hot burners, dangerous ingredients are avoided and the list goes on... the result is a healthy meal without pain. Leave the child to their own devices and a mess is imminent. Leave us to our own devices and a mess is imminent. I’m thankful for this reminder, I’m also thankful that we have a Lord that prays for us.

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25 NIV)