Knowing Peace { Be Savvy }
When you have something like a small business in your life you will have a lot of choices to make, choices, not compromises. Those my friends, are two different paths. You’ll have a lot of decisions thrown at you. Some will be little ones like what color tissue paper you want to put in your gift wrapping but some will be more crucial ones, the kind you have to pray over and seek council on. The ones that at the end of the day you still want your integrity and good character to be your possessions. I’ve recently been faced with some make or break decisions when it comes to owning my little photography business, some of them are financial decisions but some times you face something that looks a lot like this;
1) I can choose the popular path, the one that will get myself more attention, but maybe I’m compromising a personal belief, or pulling a Jonah and doing the opposite of what I know the Lord wants me to do.
2) The not-so-popular choice… Maybe picking the harder choice but knowing in the long run it is what will Glorify the Lord, I am not compromising any of my beliefs and having peace, knowing the Lord will bless me for obedience to his still small voice.
I still choose option one sometimes, and when I do, I know it because I don’t have that peace, but an uneasy spirit. We all know how the story of Jonah ends, and soon, I’ve lost the kind of peace the one the bible talks about; Peace that passes understanding. I won’t always get why God is leading me to a certain area, of unpopularity, or maybe something that will be less successful in the worlds eyes, or at least won’t get me to my idea of “success” sooner.
Personally, I think as artists, business owners, students, whoever you are reading this, you have to look at your choices through a biblical view, seeking to see how Jesus would see. Not each aspect of our life with a different view, the “business is business” excuse doesn’t cut it when you hear the Holy spirit in your ear, thats not something you can peaceably ignore anyways. Jesus walked this earth with one mission; to be about His Fathers business.
” But Jesus wasn’t always liked, or popular, and he was even mocked!”
Yes. But He is also blessed, anointed, righteous and victorious.
We cannot run our business (or to take this broadly, life.) based off the ladder to success. What a lonely ladder that can be, one that can make you lose sight so quickly and that ultimately can lead you no where but down. Theres somethings tragically poetic about that, the worlds ladder of success will only take you down. Think about it. Please don’t try to gain the world and its recognition and lose your soul to compromise.
Growing up, I have words from my fathers teaching pressed into my brain.
“No God, No peace, BUT, Know God, Know Peace.”
I want to Know God, be like His son, and KNOW and walk in peace. Living an abundant life walking in His will for me. Trusting He will guide my paths as I acknowledge Him in all my ways.
Matthew 7: 13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
I will leave you with this thought:
True peace and success go hand-in-hand. Success is not an easy matter; and peace will not follow you if you are compromising to get there on your own accord. Success cannot be determined merely by the amount of money and material possessions you have or will bring. The meaning of success goes far deeper than the worlds views of success and popularity. It can only be measured by the inner peace you possess when you trust and obey the Holy Spirit and Christ’s calling on your life. With that you will be joyful and at peace under all circumstances. That is real success. That is knowing Peace.
