I know you are good at what you do. You have been working hard on your business, and you are proud of what you have accomplished. Challenges have been along the way, and your business doesn’t look like it did initially. You are grateful for every lesson you have learned. And I know you are trying to make a difference in the lives of your clients and customers.
You need to have meaning in your work. If you think about it, there is an aspect of your work that satisfies a real heartfelt need. Bringing your brand to your clients and solving their problems gives you satisfaction beyond the sale or the money you earn.
But there is something just a little off. That success you experience in your business life somehow doesn’t translate to your faith life. Most times, you feel guilty about your lack of commitment to the things of God. You feel the deep need to connect with Him but know it can’t be in the way that has been modeled for you.
How can growing your faith bring even more satisfaction to your work?
That’s what we are going to look at today. How intentionally growing your faith life reaps the rewards on your satisfaction level of the work God has called you to do.
If you are not feeling it, keep reading; in the end, a simple plan will get you started growing your faith to fuel your business.
The business side of growing your faith
My friend Sophia is just like you. She is a talented business owner. She is a financial planner. Her work in the community is fantastic. She is on the boards of at least two non-profits and leads community projects such as adopt-a-highway and raising money for the SPCA. She would say she has meaningful work.
Your life is full, too, right? You may tell yourself you don’t have the time or the patience to attend group Bible studies or church every week. You may say to yourself there are things, like travel, that keep you from the church door, but in your heart, you know there are other things that keep you away: judgment, guilt, feeling left out, aloneness, and no deep connections. . .
Sophia once told me that she tried to attend the church-sponsored Bible studies they held in the mornings, but she found that her mind was not there. Since it was during peak market opening times, she was distracted and could only concentrate on how much time was remaining before she could get to work. The evening Bible study didn’t work either since she preferred to spend time with her children, especially because she’s a single mom.
Bring your authentic self to the business world
And let’s face it, for us in business, our friends are our business colleagues; they are who you and I spend the most time with. You may wish they knew more about your faith side. And you may want to be able to share that part of yourself with them, but you fear rejection. You hide that part and don’t show up as your authentic self to your business world.
Keeping these two parts of you separate is how you have always functioned, but it is not working. You are tired of the separation and want to bring your whole self to the table, no matter where you find yourself: the boardroom, the PTA meeting, or the Sunday School class.
You want to be growing in faith more and want to represent Christ in the marketplace as His ambassador. Getting by saying, ‘I work with integrity,’ is not enough. You want to serve God in a real way, and it has to look different than going on a mission trip, volunteering to head up a committee, or greeting at the door on a Sunday morning.
The Bible side of growing your faith
Bending your view of how the Christian life looks is hard for you. And like Sophia, you may have tried to live up to a standard of what is ‘good.’ You are busy with community events and charities. They help your business as well as fill a certain void. This serves a purpose because it makes you feel connected, at least for a time.
Still, you know there is more God wants from you. Mainly, it is the craving He has placed in you for a deeper relationship with Him. You want to know for yourself what the Bible says. But you need to approach it in a new way. You are not satisfied learning from books, pastors, sermons, and teachers. You want to connect to God more personally in a way that speaks to your heart.
For Sophia, this has led down some interesting paths. In her quest for connection, she has tried many things. She . . .
- took a course in showing up with integrity
- connects to her ‘energy’ by going on yoga retreats and
- is always ready to embark on the next’ experience.’
She has also bought into some other new-age ideas and not even realized them. Have you tried filling your faith life with spiritual things? Finding meaning by adding one type of experience or another to piece together a connection to God?
Meaning and connection
What Sophia hasn’t realized, and maybe you also haven’t, is that God has answered all those questions for meaning and connection.
How? In His Word. Dig into its meat, and not settle for just that superficial level (the milk).
Treat your spiritual growth like you would any other growth goal. Treat it like you would a class or any other type of learning you do for your business. Write the goal and then act on it in a decisive way.
Take spiritual growth and knowing God as seriously as you take working out, eating well, planning client meetings, taking care of your family, etc. Having someone on the journey with you will help you figure out your way to a deeper relationship with God and understand how to serve Him.
I recommend surrounding yourself with people who can be your spiritual mentors and accountability partners. Inside the Calling Clarity Community, we have set this up for you. We know that unless you have a community that understands you and wants the best for you, you will continue to be alone, struggling to find God’s purpose and meaning in your business.
The faith side
You are perfect for what God wants you to do. Nothing you have done disqualifies you from His service. No amount of ‘other’ good deeds will give you the same heart satisfaction as learning more about Him and His heart for you.
Growing your faith will not mean more work for you. If anything, learning about God will give you a type of focus you have never experienced before. Following God does not mean ‘doing it all’. It means knowing for sure that the things you do in your business, the actions you decide to take, and the choices you make- big and small- all point to God’s glory and His purpose in your life.
I know you feel too busy, too exhausted, too distracted to think about one more thing in your life. Imagine aligning all the activities, work, distractions, and pieces of your life into a single focus. Imagine having the bandwidth to do what you want, what God wants, and still be able to function in a way that gives you peace and satisfaction- no matter your circumstance.
Here’s what else I know: growing your faith and business requires you to slow down. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it is critical to your satisfaction.
Whether you have been in business for a while or are just getting started, there are definite advantages to stepping back and evaluating how you are showing up for God in your business and how you can better connect to God.
Faith grows in community
Faith grows in community. Business success needs community. Becoming part of a ‘One Another’ community that is devoted to one another, honors one another, accepts one another, teaches one another, serves one another, and loves one another is essential.
I wish I could say that Sophia is a part of this type of community, our community. She has chosen another path. She is still looking for a spiritual connection. I can see that on her Instagram and Facebook posts when she is off on yet another adventure in her quest for meaning.
God wants you to focus on having more impact; the only way to do this is to take your relationship with Him seriously. Even Paul understood that by saying this. . .
I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13).
Learning how to work on that relationship daily is important to truly have a God-centered business.
Where are you right now? How are you processing this information? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments.
A plan you can implement
I’m going to make this super simple for you. I want to give you a plan you can implement right now.
First. . .
- Stop trying to piece together wholeness.
- Stop trying to do more ‘good’ with less results.
- Stop making excuses for your lack of faith growth.
Second. . .
- Start believing what God says about you.
- Start taking action to get to know God better.
- Start seeing your work as your worship.
- Start reading the Bible and get discipled.
- Start aligning with God for your success in life and business.
Let the Calling Clarity Community help you continue to grow your faith (and your business) by becoming a part of and participating in our activities and events.
We want to help you. . .
- create a clear vision for your business that motivates you and keeps you accountable.
- strategically collaborate with other believers to grow your influence and your impact.
- understand how God’s design of you helps you create the perfect business for you.
- develop strengths-based leadership skills that give you confidence and consistency in your business.
- ground everything in God’s calling for you through continuous connection with believers who ‘get you’ and want to help you succeed.
Sophia grew for a while when she was connected to the community. When I first met her, she barely took the time to read the verse of the day on her phone app. Now, she is reading through the Bible for the third time.
I’m glad she allowed me to be her spiritual mentor for a time. It’s exciting to see her grow in her faith and grow in God. There is always more work to do, and the enemy is always distracting us. I feel privileged to have been part of her growth. I just wish she would have continued.
Yes, it takes discipline, BUT GOD wants you to thrive in a relationship with Him. Take the time to grow your faith. It will fuel your business (and your life).
Let us be a community for one another; let’s help one another to build it together.
Be filled to overflowing,
DeneenTB
P.S. I would love to chat with you if you have questions. Make an appointment today!
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