Faith at Work—Let's go!

For years my wife, Steph, and I talked about going to Alaska with our extended family, specifically on an Alaskan land and sea cruise. We repeatedly decided against it because the cost seemed too high, we worried about leaving people out, or we thought an “easier” trip would present itself. Finally, Steph and I hatched a plan to take the trip of a lifetime for our 28th wedding anniversary with her parents.

This adventure shares similarities with the journey of living out one’s faith at work.

Decision

The first step is making a decision. For my wife and me, the genesis of our Alaskan adventure was declaring, “We’re doing this. If you’d like to join us, that would be great, but we’re doing it either way.” This might sound obvious, but it was vastly different from the “we’re thinking about it” approach we had taken for years, which was often met with all the reasons why “now” might not be the best time. Once Steph’s parents knew we were serious, it was easier for them to make their decision.

Commitment

The next step is commitment. The Bible talks about how a wise man counts the cost before starting a project (Luke 14:28). For us, the commitment involved time and money. My in-laws are retired with plenty of both, so things were a bit open-ended at first, which was uncomfortable for me. Ultimately, our ability to make a commitment required understanding what the investment was and what we could expect in return. In my leadership roles, I’ve learned a valuable principle: If you’re going to ask people (or yourself) to commit fully to doing something big (e.g., change), the future has to be more exciting than the present.

So let me suggest a pause here for you to consider this: How much have you really thought about eternity? Because our journey as Christians requires a commitment and investment for which the rewards are many and eternal. If you have yet to internalize what this means, you’ll understandably find it hard to commit to.

Preparation

The last step is preparation. For better or for worse, God wired me as a “quick start” personality with a bias toward action. (Note: If this is your wiring as well, the Kingdom Culture Field Guide was designed for you.) Thankfully, as a young man, my father got me into scouting, through which I learned to appreciate the mantra “be prepared.” For our Alaskan adventure, that meant watching hours of YouTube videos, looking to professionals for guidance, and asking questions of those who had “been there, done that.” This preparation resulted in being properly dressed to enjoy the world’s largest temperate rainforest (who knew?), scheduling our flight to Denali early on our trip in case weather required rescheduling, and bringing sleep masks for when there was sunlight 18 hours a day. Just a little preparation can be the difference between a wonderful adventure and a “death march,” as one of my less prepared friends once remarked after a backpacking trip through one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast.

My experience from working with more than 30 Christian CEOs and business owners is that incorporating one’s faith at work, building the (Business as a Ministry, and nurturing a Kingdom culture in the company are all part of the greatest adventure a Christian business leader will undertake. It’s a journey that starts with a decision, that is realized through commitment, and that is made more or less successful through preparation.

However close you are to taking the “next right step” toward living out your faith at work, I encourage you to pray about where you’re at, let God meet you there, and be open to the great adventure ahead.

After having to reschedule our trip to Denali twice due to weather, we successfully flew in and through three of the highest peaks in North America and landed on a glacier. For each of us, that was a “peak experience” for different reasons. For my wife and me, it was seeing her 80-year-old mother fulfill a dream of making snow angels with her husband of 57 years on a 4,000-foot-deep glacier responsible for giving shape to Denali (aka Mount McKinley). The wonder of that moment defies proper description but is similar to my experience when one makes the decision, commitment, and preparation to weave the gospel wonderfully into their lives, leadership, and the way they do business.

So what do you say? Let’s go!