The Anvil of Entrepreneurship

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  Matthew 16:24-25

The Christian life is one of denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following Jesus. Following Jesus includes, among other things, putting the needs of others before our own (Philippians 2:3-4) and embracing suffering (1 Peter 4:12). We aren’t supposed to be surprised when we suffer. But I was. I was surprised when the call of discipleship followed me into my entrepreneurial life. I didn’t know that to be an entrepreneur is to suffer.

You see, the world will never tell you that.

The world tells us a story about entrepreneurship. It says that entrepreneurship will give us the freedom to do what we want, whenever we want. It says that we can enjoy success and be proud of our achievements if we will take a leap of faith and simply trust in ourselves. It says that we can be rich and live in luxury (whatever that is in our mind’s eye), never worrying about money. It says we can experience all of this and more if we just commit to our dreams.

I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that this is the overarching narrative on entrepreneurship because it’s the same narrative they have about life. “Your goal in life is to be happy, and you can do it if you put in the work to make it happen.”

Jesus, on the other hand, calls us to a different narrative for our lives. So no matter what we put our hand to, whether it’s entrepreneurship, or a day job, or being a homemaker, no matter what we do, we are called to be a disciple of Jesus in that role.

I recently read this quote from Pastor Ray Ortlund and it puts this idea into words beautifully:

“Wisdom is the gospel of Christ reshaping us for royalty as God places us on his anvil and we trust him enough to stay there until his work is done.” - Ray Ortlund, Commentary on Proverbs

What a needed reset! If entrepreneurship is a part of our life, then we know that it will be a process of embracing difficulty and learning to be more Christlike.

What’s beautiful about this is that even though we are called to a life of denying ourselves, the surprising plot twist is that this is actually how we find our lives. A life of putting Jesus and others first is actually a life of joy. The world thinks that by prioritizing self, they will get the most happiness. But the opposite is true; denying yourself in the pursuit of Jesus is how you find life. Sin promises delight and never delivers. Jesus promises suffering and delivers joy.

So no, entrepreneurship is not primarily about self-fulfillment, it’s actually about learning to die to yourself, put others first, and submit to the process of being sanctified through difficulty.

I had no idea when I started on this entrepreneurial journey what a crucible it was! I wish that a seasoned Christian entrepreneur had been there to reset my expectations. I had bought into the world’s narrative and had to go through the slow and painful process of disappointment in the world’s empty promises. I thought it was going to be easy and fun! Instead, it’s been difficult but rewarding. I’ve needed nothing less than 1000% commitment, but I’ve also needed so much more.

Entrepreneurship is difficult. Blessings always come with difficulty and responsibility. Blessings are worth it, but they aren’t easy. So for those of us who choose to have our own business, we are choosing a life of more pressure. Yes, we will experience the blessings of more freedom, creativity, money, time, etc., but we also need to embrace the extra pressure that this lifestyle puts on our daily lives. There is a cost. So don’t be like I was. Don’t be surprised at the difficulty. Instead, embrace it!

The extra pressure of running a business in addition to regular life means that we are given an opportunity for personal growth. Having a business is like a huge magnifying glass on our strengths and weaknesses. If you have trouble following through, that will show up. If you have a hard time connecting with people and being personable, it will show up. If you procrastinate, it will show up. If you have a hard time making decisions, it will show up. Whatever your weaknesses are, they will be highlighted.

In order to do well in business, you need to grow personally in big ways we often aren’t forced to otherwise. For a Christian, that means that entrepreneurship simply becomes a crucible in which God works to shore up our weaknesses and show us our need for Him. He uses the pressures of entrepreneurship as one of the means of sanctifying us and making us look more like Himself.

But here’s the exciting part: (and this is true for all of us whether we are entrepreneurs or not!) as we are remade into His likeness through the process of sanctification, we are fashioned into a more whole human being. God created us for royal dominion. We were made to be incredibly beautiful and valuable creatures. We were designed to be insanely capable as the crowning glory of His creation.

C.S. Lewis once said,

“The dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship… There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. …It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit...” - The Weight of Glory

Embracing the extra pressure of the entrepreneurial lifestyle creates an opportunity for us to take dominion in our lives and grow personally. And that is always worth it.

So a worshipful, kingdom entrepreneur is one who commits to the hard but rewarding process of staying on the anvil as you are shaped more into the image of Jesus. But staying on the anvil is hard. Submitting to the trials God brings into our lives is difficult. Sometimes I feel like just giving up.

If you’re wondering if you have what it takes to stay on the anvil, you need look no further than your Savior who stayed on the cross. He embraced suffering to the full. He endured. He has already drunk your cup of suffering to the dregs. So when you feel like giving up on the hard work of growth, whether today or in the future, remember this “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6. Jesus is the One who is going to see your sanctification process to completion. Just follow Him and let His beautiful work reshape you into royalty.

New book coming soon!!

💌 P.S. My book is coming soon!

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