From the time I was very young, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the wide world of construction and tools. I had probably seen every Bob the Builder episode ever made and had my own arsenal of plastic tools that I would wield while wearing the dusty old DeWALT Racing hat I stole from my old man.
Fast forward to my senior year of college at MTSU - where I would soon earn my degree in Residential Construction Management and my commission in the Tennessee Army National Guard - and I had amassed many more tools, often at the expense of my poor wife's sanity. We had been married for a year at this point and, with graduation looming near, I needed to find some work.
The thought had crossed my mind at points that I could potentially start something on my own but I always ruled it out as too risky. But something had changed in me since the last time I had dreamt something like this up. Several months before we got married, my wife and I were attending premarital counseling with our pastor. He was asking questions that allegedly had no "correct" answer but I sensed I must have been getting them wrong because he always had more to say to me than my wife. Then he asked me the most important question anyone can pose to themselves or others: "Do you know Jesus to be your Lord and Savior?"
I had struggled with the meaning of that question for most of my life up to that point. I don't remember exactly how the conversation went but I can tell you when he walked me through the scriptures the Spirit opened my heart to the meaning. All have sinned (Rom 3:23), I was not unique despite the fact I was certain to have a longer rap sheet than the pastor or my fiancée next to me. True justice requires a punishment when someone is wronged. I wronged many a person and even my Creator when I was lost in my sin. The wages for sin is death apart from God (Rom 6:23). Thankfully, we serve a God who has such love for us that - despite our best efforts to go against Him - He gladly sent his Son to pay the debt that we owed (Rom 5:8).
One of the biggest deterrents for would-be entrepreneurs is the question of what if? What if I don't get traction? What if I can't make it work? What if I fail? ...I've already failed. I fail a little bit everyday. Some days more than others. One thing we will always have to count on - this side of eternity - is failure. Build your house on the Rock. Place your faith in the God who parts the sea. Place your faith in the God who delivered a giant into the hands of a shepherd boy. Place your faith in the God who raised Lazarus from the dead. The God who raised Christ, and who has the power to raise YOU. Place your faith in the Almighty God who will NEVER fail.
I don't know what the future holds for this business, for my family, or even for my own life here on Earth. But I know where I'll hang my hat when this world is in the rearview. I pray that you and I don't lose sight of the eternal matters for the matters of the present. Thank you for reading and for your interest!
James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."