“But, even if He does not, we want you to know that we will not serve your gods or worship your images of gold…” Daniel 3:18
I have spent the last six years deliberately building a company that would honor God in all facets. We are deliberate in our pricing structure, deliberate in our sourcing strategies, deliberate in our transparency, deliberate in who we hire and deliberate in our attentiveness to the client’s needs. For the last six years, it has remained imperative that we are Christ focused, washing feet on both the pretty and ugly side of the fence, especially when no one is watching and at 2:00 in the morning on another Saturday.
But unfortunately, not everyone has been a fan. A few weeks ago, we found ourselves on the wrong side of a good customer. Despite the years of being a loyal vendor, the countless hours of looking out for the plant’s best interest and the number of missed birthdays and anniversaries over years of responding when no one else would, roadblocks seem to exist now where they have not been before, and foreign agendas have taken precedence. In the face of our intentional efforts, the wall gets a little taller by the day and the grim reality of having to either roll with the punches or face the consequences, hides in the shadows.
Scripture is jam packed with biblical greats and Hebrew Hall of Fame inductees who faced trials of many kinds. Through valleys and mountains alike, fiery furnaces and Roman torture, the common denominator of refusing to cooperate and remain obedient to the one true King instead, sends this A list of the faithful to a proclamation of both victory and defeat as their eyes rest fixed and their hearts hold vertical, through the affliction. Truth proceeds from the leather-bound linen pages as a consistent account of how many times rivers and rocks were split, walls were decimated, and streams were provided. But unfortunately, it is also consistent with how many times these prayers were answered several chapters in and in some cases, not at all. The strategy for entry is always daunting, never seems to follow the rules of the playbook and endures well beyond the boundaries of the lunar calendar….and my watch.
I should not be surprised that in these tumultuous times, a great opportunity for ministry has also existed. Disciples still need to be made and opportunities to give generously still abound and even though there may be a hint of a new direction, it is still my God who owns the silver, the gold, the cattle and every beast in the forest. I have tirelessly spent many a 1AM morning shoring up defenses, building strategies, counting ceiling tiles and asking questions only to have the Prince of Peace remind me of how futile this is without Him in the driver seat. It has taken “a valley of despair to find an Everest of faith” and peace in the darkness, from those God has faithfully placed on our path, to remind us that we’ve been planted, rather than buried, in this garden.
Both in and out of the fire, God Almighty has been so faithful and wholly generous. Whether a downturn or an upturn, a fire-sale or a walk in the extravagant, a lamb in the thicket or an intentional 4-day delay, He alone remains worthy. Regardless of His faithfulness in preparing a table before me in front of my enemies, now or later, my allegiance will always remain in Christ alone.
