Did I Need To Go Through Samaria?- Articles- BlackandChristian.com

Seasoned Business Owners, Have You Wondered?
Did I Need To Go Through Samaria?
God Has Already Worked It Out; We Must Walk It Out!

And He must needs go through Samaria John 4:4

The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.
Psalms 37:23-24

Sometimes we have to walk through a place that we would not normally go in order to experience whatever it is that God wants us to experience. It is always for something more than ourselves and perhaps even for the masses.

If you have been in business for sometime, I am sure that you have encountered challenges that made you wonder, ‘what is this all about?’; ‘why is this happening or not happening?’ and maybe even have had a woe is me attitude. Hopefully, you have received your answer to whatever questions that you may have had and now clearly understand that you had to go through ‘it’ in order to become a seasoned/mature business owner able to stand and yet stand and to witness to other business owners.

If you are still wondering what is going on with the various challenges to you and/or your business, then know that as a child of God, truly everything does work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called to His purpose. He has not forgotten you; you are being tested, tried and fired, however, if you continue to do what God has told you to do, then you will come out without the smell of smoke and as pure gold.

The place you had to go through may be uncharacteristic to what you represent, however, you are learning valuable lessons that will put you in the position to be counted among the seasoned/mature business owners.

Every seasoned/mature business owner that I have worked with, heard about or read about had to go through something and many times several things—in effect, they had to learn valuable business ownership lessons. Some may have had to temporarily decrease their work force, other business expenses or operations; temporarily return to employment; temporarily cease operations; rethink their business plan and direction; file bankruptcy; or any number of strategies in order to remain a business owner. They may have had to move from one business product or service to another, however, permanently ceasing operations was never an option and their perseverance proved to be the correct strategy in the end.

Even if you have the best plans and strategies, you will still have to go through some- thing(s) since none of us knows everything and as a child of God, we are being perfected every day and will be unto the return of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In fact, making mistakes, large or small, is part of the overall perfecting process. The entrepreneurial spirit is, among other characteristics, one of risk and daring—faith! So, if you are a true entrepreneur, then you will have to prove that you are what you say through the tests and trials of business ownership.

The Lord recently ministered to me to be bold in what He had told me to do concerning my wellness industry business, Divine Health Choices. I had been putting the tip of my toes in and out of the water not getting out into the deep. As a result, certain things were not happening. Another lesson to learn, if what you are doing is shallow, then it really is not proving your faith or improving your position.

So, yes, you did have to go through those challenges! Therefore, continue to press through toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just learn the lesson so that you don’t have to repeat the lesson over and over until you do learn the lesson. Then, get back up with a straight back and confidence in God and continue your walk. You may have heard of the phrase, ‘failing forward’; that’s what you do when you own a business. It’s inevitable; and it can be rewarding for you and others.

Always remember, God has already worked it out (through Jesus Christ on the cross), we just have to walk it out no matter how challenging it seems.

The next topic will be, What Are You Focusing On?

NOTE: It would be good to hear from any business owners to find out what you are focusing on in your businesses and would be interested in reading in future BUSINESS VISION columns. Hope to hear from you!

The next topic will be Walking To the Prize!

Bonita M.W. Shelby is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Business Manager. A graduate of Howard University, Ms. Shelby is a member of Jericho City of Praise and a Breast Cancer survivor. She helped establish the Howard University Hospital Breast Cancer Support Group. Ms. Shelby is the principal and business life coach of Kingdom Business, Inc. Responses are encouraged and for more information, I invite you to visit our website for a FREE Business Vision assessment at: www.kingdombusiness.biz/ or email us at help@kingdombusiness.biz or call 301-445-0398.