He proceeded to tell me that he truly believed God had called me to make the changes I made. He agreed with my determination to persevere despite the tough conditions. But then he told me that he thought I was missing a key ingredient. He told me that it appeared I had stopped listening to God.

Stopped Listening?

At first, I stiffened. There was no way I had stopped listening! I was so sure he was wrong about this that I almost stopped listening to him!

Yet he pointed out examples of my refusal to listen to other godly people. He showed me how I was clearly taking God’s initial instructions and executing them, but at the same time I was not listening for further instructions. I was assuming God would never change my path.

Examples From Scripture

To make it easier for me to understand, he reminded me of a couple of examples from Scripture. First, he reminded me of the time Mary and Joseph had taken Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. This was clearly God’s will for them to do this. They had started on the right path. However, on the return trip, it took them several days before they realized He was not with them. Instead, He was still at the temple talking with the teachers (Luke 2:41-50).

The next example Julio gave was the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. After waiting for many years to have their own son, Abraham and Sarah were blessed with Isaac. When Isaac was a young boy, God told Abraham to take him to the top of the mountain and offer him as a burnt offering! Abraham proceeded to do as God told him. He took the right path.

However, at the very moment that he was about to slaughter Isaac, the Angel of the Lord stopped him. Though God had told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, it turned out it was only a test of Abraham’s commitment to God (Genesis 22:1-19).

My Situation

Julio took these two examples and applied them to my situation. He explained again that he agreed that I was originally on the right path – that God had called me to do what I was doing. At the same time, he felt I was proceeding almost blindly in that original direction. It was possible, he said, that Jesus was no longer “with me on the trip” or that God had been trying to get my attention for a direction change. Either way, Julio showed me that I was not listening carefully enough to know it if either case were true.

I sat there absorbing his words. I wanted to argue, but I knew he was right. I was so set on carrying out my orders that I was not prepared for a change in direction. My journey had become more about my determination to be obedient than actually being in God’s will. I had turned it into an effort to prove my strength of resolve.

My Reaction

The first thing I did was to go to my Dad and apologize. I explained that I was not yet changing direction, but that I had recognized my stubbornness. I committed to him that I would be open to listening for God to speak, either directly to me or through the counsel of other wise and godly men.

Then I committed to a renewed attitude in prayer. I began praying that God would show me the right path. If I was still on the right path, I asked for strength to continue. If I had left the right path, I asked for guidance to get back to it. My posture in prayer effectively went from an aggressive three-point stance to prostrate and face-down. I was determined to listen to that still, small voice.

The Right Path!

The cool thing? I was still on the right path! I am more certain of that now, because I started listening. The more I listened, the more God confirmed that I was headed in the right direction. Although I knew it was God that started me on that path, I had clearly lost connection with Him and had taken over the wheel.

Thanks to Pastor Julio, I was back in the passenger seat and loving it! The struggle on the path did not go away immediately, but much of the stress did.

Has this ever happened to you?

Did you get back on the right path or are you still driving?

What are you going to do about it?

Photo by izustun / iStock

Focused On The Goal

Most business owners and leaders are in their positions due largely to their personality type. We are most often driven and ambitious to some degree. We like to push the envelope and often want to try out new ideas. We are not usually afraid of bucking the trend at least a little.

When we are applying these qualities to integrating our Christian faith into our businesses, we have the advantage. Often, the Christian walk is a difficult one, especially when done in the business world. So, our strong personalities serve us well and keep us focused on the goal.

Not The Right Path?

But what if we are not on the right path? What if we started on the right path, but God wants us to stop or change directions? Because of our ability to focus and eliminate distractions, we can miss Him speaking to us. In that case, we need a wake-up call.

A Friendly Introduction

Roughly twelve years ago, a friend introduced me to a preacher from New York named Julio. At the time, it had been a long, hard year since I had turned our business upside down as a result of God’s leading.

The path was the most difficult I had ever experienced and I was struggling. At the same time, I had a core-level commitment to continue regardless of the circumstances. I was laser-focused on seeing it through. I had no doubt I was on the right path.

However, I was so focused that I was not willing to listen to outside input. I knew what God had called me to do and I was going to do it. Truly, I was not concerned with the consequences as long as I accomplished what God wanted. While this can be a good mindset in some ways, in other ways it can be dangerous.

My Wake Up Call!

Enter Pastor Julio. He and I talked (more me, less him) for more than an hour about all that had transpired over the past 12 months. He listened intently and probed lightly to better understand what I was saying. At the end of the one-sided conversation, he asked if he could make an observation. I told him I was all ears!

He proceeded to tell me that he truly believed God had called me to make the changes I made. He agreed with my determination to persevere despite the tough conditions. But then he told me that he thought I was missing a key ingredient. He told me that it appeared I had…

To Be Continued…Tuesday!

Have you been in a similar situation?

What do you think Pastor Julio told me?

Based on what you have read so far, would you have any advice for me?

Photo by Smileus / iStock

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 an effort to help you think through your own mission, vision, and values, I wanted to share these components with you. I do not expect anyone to take a look at our mission, vision, and core values and immediately decide to copy them because they are so good! However, I do think someone reading this may get some ideas for their own company statements.

Because I have already covered in previous posts the benefits to creating these statements of mission, vision, and core values, I will not review those here. Instead, I will simply communicate and explain these statements for our company.

Mission Statement

The Mike Patton Auto Family seeks to honor God by impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and community.

We believe that God owns this business and we are simply His stewards of it for a season. We want to make sure that all we do in and through the business honors Him. By the same token, we do not want to do anything that will dishonor Him.

We believe that we are here, and that this business exists, for the purpose of impacting people for eternity. We believe that this is our ultimate goal.

Vision Statement

Moving people.

This statement is short, but is full of meaning. First, it obviously references transportation, reflecting the automobile business we have chosen. But it goes much deeper than that.

We want to take employees, customers, and those in the community and we want to “move” them from their current position (or circumstances) to a better place. Regardless of where they are in life (financially, professionally, emotionally, etc.), we want to move them to an improved situation. Regardless of how they interact with us, we want them to be better off having done so.

If you are interested in following my process to create your own mission, vision, and core values, then check out my new ebook – Why Does Your Business Exist?

Now Available on Amazon!!!

Click Here For Ebook!

Core Values

Integrity
We do what is right even when no one is watching.

This core value comes first for a reason. Without integrity, we will not have the impact that we desire. We take this very seriously. We will extend grace when it comes to mistakes and errors, giving people a chance to grow and improve in their jobs. We are not as tolerant of violations in this area. We need to know we can trust our coworkers without question.

Excellence
We are constantly redefining our goals, expectations, boundaries, and potential.

Our team’s talents and performance vary from person to person. That is normal. We simply believe that regardless of your talent or performance today, you should want to be better tomorrow. We want teammates that are constantly striving to learn and grow, improving every day!

Employee Development
We strive to create an atmosphere that inspires and enables people to reach their full potential.

As a company, we want to meet our employees where they are as they strive for excellence. Our goal is to provide the resources and inspiration required to “move” them forward on their path. Sometimes this means they advance within our company and sometimes it means they move on to other opportunities. Either way, we want to help!

Spiritual Growth
We provide the opportunity for all to know God and make Him known.

No one who works in our company is required to believe what we believe. However, we make it clear early on that God is the owner of our company. Therefore, all that we do centers around Him. This includes many efforts to sow seeds of faith all around through various efforts. We will not force anyone to believe, but they will certainly have opportunities to hear.

Community Impact
We use our talents and treasures to make a difference in those who need it most.

We believe we are part of the community in which we work and therefore have the responsibility to give back to that community. Whether through benevolence or sponsorships, community service or fundraising, we are going to take the time and energy to give to those who need it.

Your Mission, Vision, And Core Values

Hopefully, you have found this helpful as an example of a good set of mission, vision, and core values statements. If you only gleaned one idea from this, I consider it worthwhile.

If you want to take this further and develop your company’s own set of mission, vision, and values statements, you should check out my ebook – Why Does Your Business Exist? A Christian Business Guide to Creating your Mission, Vision, and Values Statements.

It is now available on Amazon! I believe you will find this ebook to be a solid, step-by-step guide to help your team craft meaningful mission, vision, and values statements to use in guiding your company.

Is your company engaged in a strong mission, vision, and core values?

If not, are you ready to revisit this with your leadership?

Do you see the benefits from having a strong mission, vision, and core values?

Photo by ipopba/iStock

Lots To Read

Let me explain. When I started this blog, I decided I was not going to write about theories or ideas. I had read a lot on the subject of Christian business by authors that I am sure were very well educated. The problem I saw was that some had never actually been in business themselves.

While I understood their theories and ideas (even agreed with most of them), I had a problem knowing they had never actually had to face the challenge of implementing those ideas. They had not faced the “whirlwind” of business that keeps many of us from being as effective as we want to be.

Application, Not Theory

As a result, I wanted to write from the perspective of one who was actually IN the business world and trying to implement the ideas I promoted. I wanted to write about application, not theory.

So that is what I did. I committed to only writing about processes we were actually trying in our business. In fact, I found the writing of the blog posts actually served as a form of accountability, keeping me focused on the application of ideas that otherwise may have faded over time.

Lapse In Effectiveness

Fast forward a few years and I have started to look around again. What I have found is not exciting to me. What I have realized is that some of the very processes and ideas that were once carried out regularly are no longer being performed. Either that or they are not as effective as they have been in the past.

If it was only about me, that may not be such a big deal.

People Depending On Application

However, I have come to find that there are many people depending on me to focus on the application of these ideas. Our entire employee base (whether they realize it or not) is relying on me to ensure the application of these processes. Their family members are depending on this. Our customers are also expecting this.

You, as a reader of this blog, trust that we are actually doing what I say we are doing. If I was promoting this blog as one of theory (not application), then you likely would not care as much. However, since I am saying the opposite, you should expect that the application of these ideas is in place.

Dangerous Clouds

So, the danger I described before, is that over time it is easy to get lost in the clouds when writing a blog. It is easy to get caught up in the coolest new idea that comes along rather than ensuring the application of that idea first.

I want to give an example from Scripture that illustrates this. While the analogy is not an exact fit, I think you will get the idea.

After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11

Disciples In The Clouds

In this passage, Jesus has just given instructions to the disciples and has ascended into the clouds, going to heaven. The disciples have things to do and instructions to follow, but what do they do? They stand there gazing into the empty sky.

What they were thinking about, no one really knows. They were probably reflecting on how cool it was to see Jesus ascend. They likely were thinking about what this ascension meant to their future. It is even possible they were wishing they could follow Him right then and skip all they had in front of them to do.

Thoughts Interrupted

Whatever the case, the two men in white clothes came along and interrupted their thoughts. Effectively, these two men told them to get their heads out of the clouds and get back to the tasks they had at hand!

I laugh every time I read this passage! I can imagine being in the disciples’ shoes and wanting to stand there gazing. I can imagine wishing to be following Jesus right then. In fact, to be honest, there are days I DO feel that way!

We Have Work To Do!

The problem is that we have work to do. Theories are good and we certainly can use new ideas in order to increase our ministry effectiveness. At the same time, the work must continue! We cannot get lost in the theory and forget the application!

It is not enough to say we added a step to our sales process at one time. We must make sure that step remains a part of the sales process for as long as it is effective. Allowing it to fade out while we pursue new ideas…this is a problem!

In the same way, applying something once that we have learned in our study of the Bible is not enough. We must maintain that application over time. It is not enough to say we studied or fasted once. We must keep up these disciplines.

Self-Assessment

I encourage you to do a self-assessment. Where do you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to application? Are you guilty of too much theory and not enough work? Have you allowed your gaze to shift to the clouds?

As I mentioned, I have noticed some cloud-gazing myself lately. As a result, I am committing to an increased focus on application. I hope you will do the same!

Where have you allowed application to lapse?

Are you ready to jump back in and get to work?

Where are you going to start?

Photo by Choreograph / iStock

Building Sand Castles

What usually happens is that the kids get started in the smooth, hard-packed sand when the tide is out. I guess this offers a better foundation and is easier to build upon.

They have their buckets and shovels and make frequent trips back and forth to the water. As they form walls and parapets and moats, they seem like they are in another world. In fact, the kids can stay like this for hours if allowed. Sometimes they will even try to miss a meal to keep going!

The problem comes later when the tide starts coming in. Initially, the water starts attacking the base of the castle, eroding the walls. Eventually, the waves overrun the walls and fill the moats with such force that the whole castle is destroyed. Within hours, there is no sign a castle ever existed there.

Not As Exciting For Parents?

My question – why is this not as exciting for parents as it is for the kids? Sure, there is an element of excitement for a parent as they see their kids having fun. But why don’t parents do this without their kids? Why aren’t the kids begging to go back to the room while the parents continue to work on the sand castle?

I am convinced that parents understand how meaningless it is to work hard to create something that will certainly be destroyed within hours. I believe, whether they consciously consider it or not, they know it is meaningless because they will have nothing to show for their work the next day.

Does this make sense? Do you think this same idea may also apply to our work in the marketplace? Have you ever stopped to think about it?

Work Is Meaningless

The author of Ecclesiastes (likely Solomon) certainly thought about this. In fact, he sought all there was in life – all pleasures, wealth, work, etc., and found that all of it was meaningless.

“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile.”
Ecclesiastes 12:8

Many of us have found the same to be true about our work at first. For some, revelation that there was more to it came at an early age. For others, this revelation came later. For many, they cannot see it.

The truth is that (according to Scripture) your work, in and of itself, is meaningless. All that you work for and achieve in this world will burn one day and there will be no reward for it in eternity. Whether you like it or not, this is what the Bible says. Check out 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 to see the basis for this.

There Is Hope!

Fortunately, there is another verse in Ecclesiastes that gives us hope. If this is true, then we can hope to bring more people to the realization that all work is not meaningless.

He has also set eternity in the human heart;
Ecclesiastes 3:11

God put eternity in our hearts. The way I understand this, there is an eternal hole or void in our hearts. We have it from birth and nothing can fill it but Him. No work, wealth, pleasure or achievement can fill that void, no matter how hard we try.

Eternal Perspective

However, once we fill that void through a salvation experience with Jesus, all sorts of opportunities open up to us. Suddenly, our work CAN matter! It is no longer meaningless if we approach it from an eternal perspective!

We first need to realize that our work, to the extent that it points others to God and a relationship with His Son, can have eternal meaning AND create eternal reward! Once we realize this, we can begin working through our jobs and businesses to have impact on people for eternity.

Share With Others!

Then, as we gain more clarity on how this works, we need to begin sharing this realization with others. Can you imagine what it could look like if all the Christians you know in the business world began doing their jobs and running their businesses with an eternal purpose?

I can tell you that this very idea is what drives me to keep writing this blog. It is the hope that others can come to the realization that their work does not have to be meaningless. It can have a dramatic eternal impact if they will simply turn it over to God and follow His lead!

Have you come to this realization regarding meaningless work?

If so, who have you shared it with?

If not, I encourage you to pray about it! Will you?

Photo by Vladimir_Timofeev / iStock

Why Is That?

Why are we like that?

What, you think you are any different? You think you are much more sensitive to your surroundings and if you lived near such beauty, you would always make time to enjoy it? I have to argue against you on that one.

Instead, I bet you are living near something just as beautiful now. You just don’t see it that way. Likely, you noticed it at one time, but it has simply become something you take for granted. It no longer grabs your attention, but it is still beautiful to someone who has never seen it before.

New Gets Old Fast

The problem is that we lose excitement quickly. When opportunities come our way for something new and exciting, we are eager to engage. In some cases, this eagerness lasts for weeks or even months, but at one point or another, it fades. The opportunity becomes mundane and no longer interests us.

Now I come to my main point. Your job or business is likely the same way. At one time, you saw the work you do as a magnificent opportunity to get fulfillment and hopefully, serve God in ministry through that job.

Opportunity Excitement Faded

At one time, you got up in the morning with just as much excitement about the opportunity at work as you have had when heading off on vacation. Ideas were floating through your head about how you could minister here or there and how God could use you for eternal impact.

Then time happened. You weren’t thinking about it, but something changed and you no longer see the magnificent opportunity for Christian ministry through your business. Instead, you are beginning to see your job as a mundane obligation.

What went wrong? What did you do to cause this?

We Stopped Working At It!

Well, if you think about it, this same analogy can apply to our marriages, our friendships, and even our relationship with God!

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
Proverbs 13:4

We stopped working at it.

We did not stop working at our job, but we stopped working at seeing the opportunity in our job (or marriage, friendship, relationship with God). Rather than regularly praying for God to show us the “new” in our jobs, we focused more on surviving them!

What Is The Solution?

So what is the solution? How do we get back to seeing our jobs as an opportunity to serve God and not an obligation?

There are many ways to do this, but I would suggest a couple of steps that have worked.

Get A New View!

Determine in your heart that tomorrow you are going to walk into your workplace with a new set of eyes. Pray that God would give you a new vision for what you can do and how you can be used at work.

Rather than taking the normal path to your office or workstation, change it up. Come in a little early. Look around as if this is your first time there. Expect to see an opportunity for ministry at every turn. Prepare in advance for what you might see.

Then block out some time and begin to take notes. Act as if it is your first day on the job and you have to decide what needs to be done differently in what areas. Pretend you have just been hired (by God) to come in there and to impact the people around you for eternity.

Look For Impact Opportunity!

Go person by person through your co-workers and see if you can think of ways you can begin to serve them. Think about their struggles and pray for ideas on how you can help.

Begin praying for them individually. Pray for their success and peace in their struggles. Pray for an opportunity to show them God’s love. Pray for God to renew your eyes every day so you can see the needs around you.

Change Will Come!

This may not completely change your vision overnight, but I promise it will change in time. Pretty soon, you will be getting up with energy in the morning.

No longer will you drag yourself out of bed, but will instead get a bounce in your step. You may even be able to give up the coffee…well, maybe that is pushing it!

Have you lost excitement over the opportunity in your job?

When will you commit to changing your view?

Can you enlist someone to keep you accountable to this commitment?

Photo by SergeyNevins / iStock

Let’s make this easy. Below is a list of ways you can misuse prescription drugs. In addition to the explanation for each misuse is a parallel misuse of Scripture. See if any of these abuses hit home with you.

1. You forget to take it.

Prescription Drugs– You have the right prescription and you intend to take it at the right time, but you keep forgetting to take it. The pill bottle just sits there on your bedside table collecting dust. Do you have a realistic hope of getting better with this behavior?

Scripture – You know from experience or even from a recommendation that spending regular time reading Scripture will help you with whatever problem you have. You have a Bible and the freedom to read it when you want to, but you keep forgetting.

Of course, you know that if it was truly important to you, you would not forget. Instead, it appears that you are more comfortable in continuing to struggle. Either that, or you would rather get your “prescription” from a non-licensed physician. Maybe your friends or the latest self-help book really can give better advice than the Creator of the universe.

2. You apply it incorrectly.

Prescription Drugs– Your elbow is hurting. Rather than going back to the doctor for a new prescription, you decide to pull out the ointment you were given for athlete’s foot last year. You rub this ointment on your elbow for relief. Don’t think this never happens!

Scripture – This one can apply two ways. First, you have good intentions, but you simply do not yet have the skills required to properly apply what you are reading. Likely, you are simply misinterpreting what you are reading. Fortunately, in this case the Holy Spirit will be helpful and guide you in the right application if you will just ask for help.

The other way this can happen is when you have a particular solution in mind before you even search God’s Word. You search and search until you find a verse that could be taken out of context to fit your needs. An extreme example would be to use Genesis 38:15-16 to confirm your weekend plans!

3. You do not fill the prescription.

Prescription Drugs– You took the time to go to the doctor and have him prescribe something to give you relief from your ailment, but you really don’t have time to go to the pharmacy to fill the prescription. Maybe tomorrow. Really?

Scripture – A friend or mentor has told you that reading and meditating on a certain Psalm really helped them get over their similar problem. You have thought about taking the time to read that Psalm, but you have just been so busy. You really have not had time to read it. You will work on that next week.

4. You won’t even go to the doctor.

Prescription Drugs– You hurt and you know there is likely something that could bring you relief, but you don’t want to ask. The doctor may think you are weird or weak. Someone may find out that you are not the specimen of health you pretend to be.

Scripture – You work with someone that often mentions how specific Scriptures have helped her overcome struggles in her life. You have similar struggles, but you cannot bring yourself to ask her where to look in the Bible for help. She may think less of you if she knows you have these struggles. You will just figure it out on your own.

5. You do not ingest it.

Prescription Drugs– You have the right prescription and you remember to take it, but you are somewhat afraid to swallow it completely. Instead, you decide to lick it on a regular schedule. Do you really think this will work?

Scripture – In this case, you do take your Bible out and read it regularly. The reading part is not the problem, but you really are not confident enough to fully digest what you have read and apply it. Instead, you are hopeful that you will gain enough benefit just from coming in contact with God’s Word. You really are hoping that maybe you will get Holy Spirit Brownie Points for the effort!

Do any of these abuses sound familiar? Do you struggle with any of these abuses of Scripture?

I think these abuses may be more common than we think. At the same time, there is one way that abuses of prescription drugs and Scripture are different. In fact, I would venture to say that this specific form of abuse can cause opposite effects.

6. You take too much of the prescription.

Prescription Drugs– Your head really hurts more today than normal. You decide to take triple the recommended dose. Surely that will take the pain away three times as fast, right?

Scripture – You find that properly taken as directed, reading and applying God’s Word really works! In an effort to increase the effects, you decide to spend a lot more time reading and meditating on it. The funny thing is that this actually works even better!

The bottom line is that we need to treat the Scripture as if it has been prescribed to us and we should take it as directed. For some specific advice on this, check out the following Scripture and see if it is clear enough for you.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Psalm 119:11

James 1:22-25

Proverbs 3:1-2

2 Timothy 2:15

What is your experience with Scripture?

Are you guilty of abusing it in any of the ways listed?

What can you do to improve your track record?

Photo by svedoliver / iStock

To Honor God?

As I said, our company mission statement includes the phrase “to honor God” as the central goal of our company. It is this goal that drove me in the beginning of my journey to run the business for eternal impact. It is the desire to honor God in everything I do that was my drive for the longest time. Unfortunately, other goals have begun to distract me.

Before I go any further, take a look at his quote and think about it:

Quit competing and live to honor God. Both will result in our best. One will receive rewards in eternity and the other now.

Choose To Compete?

Do you get what he was saying? We can choose to compete rather than simply seeking to honor God in all we do. We can compete with other businesses. We can compete with our neighbors or our family members. Maybe you are competing with childhood friends or an old nemesis. Many compete with everyone, not satisfied unless they are the best in the world at a certain skill or measurement.

While competition can be a good motivator, we need to ask ourselves if it is the best one. We need to ask ourselves if competition brings out the best in us or not. Then we need to think about whether a better motivator could simply be the desire to honor God.

Different Approach

What if, before taking any action at all, you ask yourself if it is God-honoring? What if, when approaching a business strategy, you decided not to look at the competition to decide what to do? What if you decided instead to determine how to honor God through your strategy?

Clearly, God is not honored with mediocrity, right? So what would it look like if you made it your absolute goal to devise a business strategy that would honor God? It would have to be a strategy of excellence. Driven by this goal, you would not be able to accept less than the best, would you?

Difference Is Timing

Just as my friend said, whether competing or seeking to honor God, the result will be our best. The difference is in the timing and longevity of the rewards.

If our motivation is to compete with the best, then we will likely find reward in the marketplace. This reward will most likely be financial and will come sooner. However, if we choose to honor God as our motivation, then rewards will also come. They will just come in an eternity that never ends.

Maybe there are immediate financial rewards, maybe not. God does not promise that. However, He does promise to reward us in eternity (Matthew 16:27). He promises that our rewards will not fade or suffer loss (1 Peter 1:3-4). He cannot go back on His promises.

Lost Focus

I have often allowed the idea of competition to take my focus off of my goal to honor God. While there have been some positive results in some areas, the overriding result is usually one of frustration. In fact, that’s another result of competition…anything short of winning it all is disappointing, even depressing.

Of course, seeking to honor God will not always result in actually pleasing Him (you WILL miss the mark at times!). At the same time, the frustration is not nearly as debilitating when we miss this goal. There are satisfaction and joy that remain, even in failure to hit this mark.

So which way will you go?

Are you guilty of competing?

Which rewards would you prefer?

How will you honor God?

Photo by peshkov / iStock

Proverbs 31 Advice

In my last post, I pointed out two pieces of advice we can pull from Proverbs 31. First, we looked at how verse 11 guides us to trust in our wives rather than withholding that trust to maintain control. We also noted how this advice can serve us well in the workplace.

In verse 23, we see that it is our responsibility as husbands and fathers to act in such a way as to earn the respect of those in our community over time. Our wives need to know that they can rely on this kind of behavior from us. Our employees and co-workers want the same consistency from us!

For today, I want to look at two more verses from Proverbs 31 that give us clear advice as husbands and fathers. In each case, we are able to apply this advice to our lives at home and at work. I pray you will do both!

Praise Her

Her husband also praises her:
“Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!”
Proverbs 31:28-29

Part of this advice to us husbands and fathers looks fairly obvious. We are to praise our wives. While it is simple, do you do it? Regularly? If so, give yourself a pat on the back! If not, why not?

Regardless of how close your wife comes to the pattern described in Proverbs 31, you must find those things she does well and you must praise her for those actions! Look for the good she does and recognize her for it. If you have children, then praise her in front of your children! They need to recognize all she does as well.

This same idea works for your employees or co-workers. Find the good they do and praise them for it. Don’t get stuck in the lie that praise will ruin them and spoil them. Praise them for their progress and watch that progress grow!

Subtle Aspect Of Praise

Don’t miss the part that is not so obvious. When the husband praises her in this verse, he says that she surpasses all of the other women. Do you think that is 100% accurate, that she is better than every other woman at all she does? I think it is unlikely.

However, his praise in this manner lets her know that in his eyes, the only ones that matter, she surpasses all the others. He lets her know that his eyes are only on her and that she is the only one he sees!

With employees, they need to hear something similar in that they need to know we still believe in them. They need to know that we are committed to them and that we are not looking elsewhere for their replacement every time they miss a target or make a mistake. Praise them in this way.

Give Her The Reward

Give her the reward of her labor,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Proverbs 31:31

Once again, part of this is obvious and part is a little more subtle. The obvious advice is that we are to reward our wives for the work they do. We are to reward them in ways that are specific to them. This is not a one size fits all kind of reward.

We need to get creative here and reward her in ways that communicate our appreciation for her commitment. This is not a once-a-year vase of flowers on Mother’s Day or her birthday. This kind of reward should be random, unexpected, and creative. It should reflect thought and planning, not just a last minute Hallmark card.

Our employees should get the very same treatment. They should be compensated in such a way that is equal to the work they do. But we should also work at rewarding them in other small ways in order to show them our appreciation for what they do. Again, these rewards are not the same for everyone, but they should happen in some way for everyone at one time or another.

Spread The Praise

The more subtle advice in this verse comes from the last part of the sentence… ”let her works praise her at the city gates.” What in the world does that mean? I will say that I am not positive, but I do have an opinion. Until I hear a better explanation, I am sticking to my own!

Think about it this way. How do those at the city gates find out about her works? Some of her works may spread by word of mouth from the marketplace, but I think it should come from us! If we husbands and fathers are the ones at the city gates, then we should be talking about how great our wives are. We should be praising them behind their backs!

Why not? Just because it is the cultural norm for husbands to talk down about the “old ball and chain” or their “old lady” in ways that make the wives out to be tyrants, does that mean we should do the same? NO! We should be singing their praises to those around us. Just imagine the swelling of their hearts if they hear from someone else how we were praising them in a crowd, behind their back!

The same is still true for our employees and co-workers. Praising them to people outside of our workplace will only increase their commitment to our company when word gets back to them. Doing this same thing to their spouses or children even multiplies the effect! Just give it a try and see if I am right!

What other advice did you glean from Proverbs 31?

What changes do you need to make to heed this advice?

Do you see the value of Proverbs 31 advice, even in the workplace?

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Proverbs 31 Advice

Normally, this passage is taught from the perspective of the wife/mother. In this and my next post, I want to see what it has to say to the husbands and fathers (and maybe a little application in business!). I hope you are willing to give me a little freedom to do this. I promise to return to Christian business after this.

Hopefully, you have read Proverbs 31 before (if not, go now and do so!) and you recognize it as the description of the “perfect” wife and mother. Of course, some people or even organizations these days might argue that it is a sexist or chauvinistic depiction, but I happen to think it is an incredibly insightful illustration of the variety of skills and responsibilities possessed by wives and mothers today.

For Husbands And Fathers?

Assuming you agree, what does it say to the rest of us? What specifically does it say to husbands and fathers? What part should we play in conjunction with a Proverbs 31 woman? Well, I think Proverbs 31 has some specific instructions that are directed at us husbands and fathers.

While Proverbs 31 is not at all an exhaustive set of instructions for us husbands and fathers, I do believe there are a few points of wisdom we can take from it. In fact, I found four (4) pieces of advice I think we would be wise to heed. Let’s take a look and see if you agree.

His Heart Trusts Her

The heart of her husband trusts in her,…
Proverbs 31:11

When taught from the perspective of the wife or mother, verse 11 teaches that she is to be trustworthy. For our purposes today, I want to turn that around and use it for advice to husbands and fathers. As a result, I think we are being told that we are to trust in our wives.

Wow, that sounds simple. Maybe so, but are you doing it? Are you really trusting her? Do you second-guess her in situations where you think you should be in control? Do you trust her opinion or intuition when it comes to people you work with or partners you take on?

Healthy Trust

Guys, I am not talking about blind trust here. I am talking about a healthy relationship where she has proven trustworthy (as have you), but you and I still fail to trust in her. Why is that? Do we think we are less of a man if we trust in her in areas where we are unsure?

I don’t have the time or space here to list all of the examples where this advice applies, but I think you get the idea. In fact, I believe that if you have read Proverbs 31 and will pray for insight into how this verse applies to you, God is faithful to show you how it applies to you specifically.

I think He can also show you where you could apply this at work. Maybe there are some people that have shown themselves trustworthy over time, but you are still clinging to control or withholding your trust from them for one reason or another. Maybe if you extended them trust, you might just see them blossom! Pray and let Him show you.

He Is Known At The City Gates

Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.
Proverbs 31:23

In the days when this was originally written, the respected men of a town would gather at the city gates. There they would share wisdom, make decisions regarding the welfare, business, safety, etc. of the town. To be “known at the city gates” means you are respected and an honorable citizen of the town.

This verse goes a little further than saying the husband is known there. In this verse, he actually “sits among the elders.” This means that the husband is actually one of the most respected men in town. He is trusted to participate in the group of elders as a peer, someone who is part of the leadership of the town.

Not Political!

For us husbands and fathers, I do not believe this means we are all to run for political office. However, I do believe we are to be among the most respected in our communities. Our wives need to know that we will consistently behave in such a way as to earn this respect.

Whether we are business owners, in leadership positions in business, or in some other way involved in the community, we are to act in such a way as to earn the respect of those in our community. We are to do this over a period of years, not just for a season.

This is because this respect is not something that comes quickly. Instead, it is something that we earn over time. It is something that comes from years of making solid Biblical decisions, regardless of the cost to us or our businesses. If our wives know this about us, don’t you think it will be easier for them to follow our lead when we need them to the most?

What about our employees or those team members we work with? Do you think it is easier for them to follow us and trust our lead when they know we have acted in such a way over years so as to earn the respect of the community? I think this advice can benefit us in many settings!

To Be Continued…

That is all the space I have today. Join me for the next post as I give you the last two pieces of advice from Proverbs 31. If you are really interested, maybe you can read ahead in Proverbs 31 and see if you see the same advice I see!

Are either of these points on target with you?

Where do you struggle with this advice?

What action step(s) do you need to take?

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