As Christian business people, we have our hands full these days. We are busy protecting our families and our own health, and, at the same time, making critical decisions about the survival and well-being of our employees and colleagues. It is a stressful, trying time.
And, it is times exactly like this that offer the greatest opportunity to transform your business and multiply your Kingdom impact.
The next six months may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a significant impact.
While I am not a futurist, and I make no claims to have any special insight, I think I can still confidently say that:
- This current pandemic will end.In the six to twelve months following the end of the pandemic, things will change dramatically as the world sorts out the aftermath.
- Some people and organizations will be reactive, setting their sights on surviving and returning to normal.
- Some businesses will be worse for the crisis, and others will emerge stronger.
- A few people and a few organizations — somewhere between five and twenty percent of the total — will be proactive, seeking to expand their influence and multiply their impact. They will disproportionately influence their communities and the nation.
The real issue, then, for all of us, is this:
Will we choose to focus on the short-term, and hope for a return to the pre-Covid-19 status quo? Or, will we choose to be one of the movers and shakers who shape the new environment?
For some of us, it is all we can do to hold onto our families, our jobs and our businesses. We are very short-term oriented, and our focus is on today, tomorrow and next week. We fall into the first of the two groups.
For a small number of us, we have a sense that God has something larger and more impactful for us and the organizations that we influence. We look beyond the crisis to the world on the other side, and feel compelled to proactively plan for a greater role for our businesses and ourselves. These folks belong in the second group.
We know that God uses adversity to create leaders who then shape society. Think of Moses and 40 years of preparation herding sheep. Or Joseph, who spent years in prison and as a slave before the famine presented him an opportunity to become CEO of the largest enterprise in the world. Or David, who spent years hiding and being pursued by Saul before ascending to the throne and shaping the nation of Israel for generations.
Worldly wisdom also recognizes the opportunity in crisis. You may recall that, during the Obama administration, Rahm Emanuel, who was then very influential in the White House, was quoted as saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”
There is something about a crisis that sets the stage for significant change. As Christian business people, we are in a unique position to multiply our influence and enlarge the Kingdom impact of our organizations. As Mordecai said to Queen Esther, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”
Esther 5: 14
If you think you are one of the people in the second group – proactive, willing to take some risks and multiply your personal and organizational impact – then the first step is to ask God to confirm that. Today, ask Him to lead you and make it clear what steps you should take today and tomorrow. Expect him to lead you one day at a time.
Understand that the process of conversation and direction is not a one-time event, but a daily interaction with the general partner of your business. Don’t think so much in terms of long-term strategic plans, but rather open yourself up to being led one day at a time. This is a difficult adjustment for many of us type-A personalities to make, but one which is essential if we are going to gain ongoing guidance from God.
Then, take some action that moves you in that direction. This is a time to act. The window of opportunity is very short. Don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. One of my friends has what he calls “the ten-second rule.” That states that once you have a realization of something that God wants you to do, you have ten seconds to beginning to act on it. If you don’t, it slides away and the opportunity dissolves, and you’ve just been disobedient.
You may want to review one of my videos with a more detailed step-by-step plan to help guide you through the process. You can access it here: https://www.thebiblicalbusiness.com/once-in-a-lifetime-webinar/.
Remember God’s words to Joshua, as he was taking over the leadership of the Israelites from Moses:
…I’ll be with you just like I was with Moses—I’ll neither fail you nor abandon you. Be strong and courageous, because you’ll be leading this people… Joshua 1:5, 6
Times of change, like these, bring great opportunity to those whose faith is strong, whose relationship with the Lord is firm, and who understand the need to lead. That may be you.
