For even when we were with you, we
gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (2
Thessalonians 3:10 NIV)
Earlier this morning I arrived at the church to find
a strange man wearing a black suit walking suspiciously in the parking lot. I
know, there are no strangers in the House of God, but I’d never seen this man
before. With a heavy accent he
asked if I was Pastor Everett. And like any other God fearing man, who has not
always been in the church, I replied “who wants to know?” He explained that he
was looking to rent space to tutor school-aged children and teach English to non-English
speaking adults. I then confirmed who I am and invited him into my office.
Immediately, he started telling me all the wonderful things he had heard about
me. And, I immediately knew that he had no working capital. Nevertheless,
having been a struggling entrepreneur myself, I have a passion for them.
He too was extremely passionate about his plans to
start his business. He explained that he helped someone else start a similar program
only to be cut loose after the program was up and running. Now, if afforded the
opportunity, he would establish a program that would stop world hunger, do away
with partisanship in Washington and be a financial blessing to the church
throughout eternity. I’m being a little sarcastic, but I sincerely love people who
feel strongly about their vision.
After proudly sharing that I would allow him to run
his program for the first three months free of charge in order to give him time
to establish his business, I told him that he would first need to obtain a
business license, certificate of occupancy and business liability insurance. He
then confided that he didn’t have the funds. No kidding, I thought. Then,
thankfully, he asked what I thought he should do.
- Get a job
- Save your money
- Establish your credit
- Sharpen your skills
- Plan ahead
And, count the cost.
For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28)
ReplyDeleteGod helps those who help themselves! This is so true in business. You cannot expect someone to invest more in you than you are willing to invest in yourself. This dream would turn into a nightmare and the dreamer will just move onto another dream because he has nothing to loose.
When I speak to others who are following their passions in life I always discern how much time, money, effort and faith they have put into their dreams. Usually their is a relationship between what you put in and what comes out.
Sometimes you have to have a regular paying job to support your dream path.
Mark, you are on point!