My wife and I are self-employed and I am blessed to have plenty of work to do. But, as any business owner knows, when you are building your dream, there is far more work that needs doing than there is time to get it all done. That’s just the nature of creating a business. The ultimate plan, of course, is that one day in the not-too-distant future, time pressures will lessen enough to squeeze in a little life.
I do my best, though, to take Saturdays off to spend time with God and my family. As a result, my four kids spend most of their lives with my wife Ana. She home-schools them, runs her business, (BlessedBodywear.com) from home, takes them to their appointments and they are with her when she does errands. Mom and her kids are together constantly.
There are times when I grow concerned about my impact on their lives as their father and wonder if I am doing enough. But if I don’t work I can’t provide. That is the plight of many fathers who work to provide for their families.
As with all problems, I took this one to God in prayer. His reply was to remind me that I was using a lot of “I’s” when assessing my decisions and options, and had not been including God in the process. Humbled, I asked for His forgiveness, then turned the whole thing over to Him. They are not my, or our businesses. It all belongs to Him, and I am just a steward of what He has blessed me with. He wants me to ask Him and He promises to guide me through the entire process, as this is His will for our lives in all things.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 NKJV
This is one of my favorite scriptures as I tend to want to do all things on my own because the world teaches men that we are supposed to be self-reliant and lean on our own strength, or we will lose our man card. But when I do it on my own, I make mistakes because I am human. If I ask for and take guidance from God, He will take every step and every move and bless it in a way that suits His ultimate purpose. That is His will for our lives. And that is the way I want to walk out the rest of my life.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 NKJV
Since taking the time to lean on God for guidance and favor, work has become more pleasurable. I have more energy at the end of the day to spend with my family, and He has blessed me with someone willing to help by covering me a couple of days a week so I have more family time and more time to get things done that I need to do to expand our businesses.
The time I do have to spend with my family is much better quality time now as my mind is free, and I can be present and involved with them because I know God is in control. And He is making things happen with the business I could never possibly do on my own. And that is the lesson for me. When I humble myself before God, repent for my sins and mistakes, give it all up to Him, talk to Him constantly or as much as I can, then listen for The Holy Spirit to guide me, things work out much better.
I used to say I never really had a father, so I had to learn at an early age to figure it out on my own. Truth is, God has always been my Father, and the more I learn about Him by reading the Bible, the more I speak to Him by praying, and the more He is on my mind by thanking him all day long for my countless blessings, the more I see and experience Him working in my life.
