Life… feeling so upside down, so very difficult. I’ve been reminded AGAIN of the deep and painful challenges God allows to come our way. In two short weeks since Thanksgiving the lives of a number of people in my circle have been dealt a serious blow.
- A key team member quits, leaving a business owner on the cusp of overwhelm with great volume of work and customer demand.
- The harsh, unforgiving reality of a cancer treatment not working; reflections on what is coming next is bleak at best.
- A profoundly shocking call informing a friend and colleague that his brother has been tragically killed on a job site.
- Following a significantly long and difficult process, a client was finally successful in hiring a key team player. Within days, the very same person incurs an injury, dramatically impacting the team’s ability to hit its production targets.
As Christ-following small business leaders we are called to be “salt and light” Matthew 5:13-16 NLT as we live and lead in a broken world.
Living and leading well as Christ’s “salt and light”…. while being squeezed and, at times, at a level that seems unbearable…is profoundly challenging. It presses us on all sides. Here are 3 passages that remind us of how God will meet us, support us and use our circumstances for good.
1. God has promised to be with you in the midst of the trouble.
“When you go through deep waters I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
2. God teaches us to rely on Him in the midst of the trouble.
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
3. God uses trials and pressures to shape us and help us grow in Christ-like character.
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT
Trials, pressures and tragedy are part of the human experience. No one is exempt from this reality. As a Christ-following small business leader we have the privilege of representing Christ while in the press….offering faith, hope and love to our teams, customers, suppliers, families and communities. We have the privilege of being “salt and light”.
How are you doing at being “salt and light” while under pressure?
A Deliberate Application:
- What pressures and / or trials are you facing?
- Reflect on the 3 passages outlined above.
- What are you sensing God ask of you as you reflect upon your pressures and the truths of these passages?
- Who will you share this with?
