Like all Christian business owners, I have faced many challenges throughout my career. The challenges have ranged from burdens that come with struggles, to the temptations that come with success.  I can’t say with any certainty which extreme is more difficult to handle correctly.

Relatively speaking, after experiencing a new level of success in my younger life, the expected visitors showed up.  Pride, temptation, arrogance and self-reliance.  Coincidentally, once I experienced success for the first time, I simultaneously became an expert in all things. I sometimes reflect on those days with embarrassment.  I am occasionally reminded of these attitudes when I am around young enthusiastic businesspeople.  While I love their energy and drive, I often wonder if they will learn to depend on God in their businesses the same way I did, or if they will get the memo and take the shorter, less scenic route.

My business failed.  It was destined to fail, and I thank God for the experience. I’m a much different person now. My business is a much different business now, too. God is good!  He restored me and my business.

If you were to ask me what the most significant change has been in my life, I would say that it is the awareness of my constant need for a Savior, a deliverer, a protector in my business and in my life.  I think being aware of these things is a huge step towards remaining humble in any success that comes my way. 

Being wired to be a businessman or woman is not for everybody.  How many people are wired to handle the responsibility of operating a business with Christian principles when no one is looking?  How many people are wired to remain plugged into both domestic and professional responsibilities 24 hours a day?  God made us this way and because of the way He designed us, with Him, we can handle anything. 

When we come to realize that we are both rare and capable, because of God, it is possible to remain humble and to be able to handle all the blessings He has in store for us.