Faith is essential to the Christian’s life, and that statement seems even more appropriate for the Christian entrepreneur. When you’re a Christian who is also a business owner, it feels like every decision you make is motivated by faith.
By faith, you pursue what God has called you to, even when the pursuit doesn’t make sense (even to you).
By faith, you leave your corporate job and financial security.
By faith, you put those ideas into action.
By faith, you brand, market, promote, invest, and give entrepreneurship everything you’ve got.
By faith, you put your trust in God’s Word and the promises He gave you. After all, the Bible says the just shall live by faith, so it makes sense that you walk by faith in all areas of your life, business included.
Oftentimes when we think of faith as business owners, we think of moving forward. Faith is believing without seeing, so we put that belief to action and press on, even when we can’t see the end.
But have you ever considered that living by faith may not always mean go and trust God to make a way? Is it possible that sometimes walking by faith can mean that you pause, or even more shocking, don’t walk at all?
I only recently considered this as I prayed for direction about an event I was planning. My business, Peculiar On Purpose, creates space for Christian women to feel authentically represented as we grow in Christ and community. We accomplish this by hosting curated monthly gatherings and social events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that allow women to connect and develop community in settings that represent their various experiences and interests as Christian women.
This is a new and very small business (#teamoftwo) so I had started by hosting intimate gatherings for 6-10 women. However, I had (and still have) creative ideas for larger events that would inspire and connect even more women. And because I had successfully hosted a few events, I believed I was ready to try something larger. God knew the truth.
So, I set out to execute my plan of hosting a women’s empowerment panel on identity and relationships. I even believed God gave me a creative name for the event: Self Over Status: Protecting Your Identity While Navigating Relationships. This event was going to have a diverse panel of women, a professional matchmaker, giveaways, and vendors! This was definitely something women would love.
Like all Christian business owners, I stepped out on faith.
By faith, I researched venues until finally finding one in my budget and desired location.
By faith, I rounded up a panel of women willing to participate.
By faith, I began creating journals to sell at the event.
By faith, I designed the flyer and social media content for promotion.
And by faith I put this event out there, announcing to everyone that Self Over Status was my businesses first major event. And I kept operating in faith and pressing forward as I stepped out of my comfort zone and shared the event in GroupMe chats, Facebook groups, and even bought ads for more promotion on social media.
Although I had some uncertainties about hosting this event—mostly not having enough help to physically host the event on the day of and if I would be able to get some merchandise ready in time—I did my best to focus on God.
I knew He could do anything, which included putting his unlimited power on my limited resources.
Plus, I had an awesome idea with speakers and features who I believed would entice the masses. But, again, God knew the truth.
And the truth was that ticket sales were much lower than I had expected. And as the date neared, I began to wonder if I had missed the mark. Something deep down was telling me that my business was not at the place to host this larger type of event, but my mind wrestled with this conclusion.
Did I not have faith that God could increase ticket sales? Was my unbelief clouding my vision of God’s power to make a way? Besides, I had faith that God had helped me up until this point, so why not have faith that He would see me through until the end?
My current dilemma had put me in such a state of confusion that I knew I desperately needed to fast and pray. And that is exactly what I did the third week before my event, spending extra time studying God’s Word and seeking His guidance according to James 1:5.
Ticket sales crept up slowly that week; however, I had begun to sense that I needed to postpone the event. Time was winding down and I didn’t want to keep asking the panelists to block off the event date in their calendars, only to cancel at the last minute.
Although it was an extremely difficult and humbling decision, I decided to postpone the event two weeks before it was scheduled to happen. And although it did not feel so great at that time, I have come to realize that this decision was also made by faith.
It was by faith that I sensed what the Holy Spirit was revealing to me about my capabilities of hosting a larger event.
It was by faith that I told each panelist God was redirecting me.
It was by faith that I had to ask the venue representative for a refund.
It was by faith that I did not move forward “in faith,” even though I knew God was able to turn things around for my good.
Sometimes it takes faith to wait on the Lord.
It can be exciting and motivating to join works with our faith and believe God for all we cannot see. But sometimes God desires to build our faith in him through the “work” of waiting.
Trust me when I tell you that having the faith to wait on God is not easy, especially as a business owner. But then again, boss moves aren’t always glamorous. Yet, as Christian entrepreneurs, we will always benefit from trusting in and following God’s lead. The tough decisions we make won’t always look or feel glamorous, but the future result of obedience to God will be the most amazing witness to us and those we serve through our businesses.
By faith, I can wait for that.