The Entrepreneur’s Battle

Scriptures: Psalms 25:16-21, Acts 13:22, Psalms 22, Psalms 23

Depression: Our Hidden Battle

David is a pretty epic Biblical character. We know that he killed lions and bears (1 Sam. 17:34-37), that he defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17), that he had a dominant military career (1 Chron. 18), and on top of everything that God referred to him as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). Seems like he pretty much had it all together.

But then we read some of what he wrote in Psalms, and it sounds terrible. He talks about being lonely and afflicted, being in anguish, and even feeling like he’s drowning. The Bible verses “I will fear no evil for you are with me” and “My God, why have you forsaken me?” were both written by David in consecutive Psalms (22 and 23). How is that even possible?

It’s a cruel irony that we often assume the people who experience the most success usually endure the least amount of suffering. In the story of David, as well as the story of many entrepreneurs, the opposite is true. With high highs usually come low lows. This is the nature of being an entrepreneur—in fact, these highs and lows are often separated by a matter of hours. 

But here’s a profound lesson we can learn from David’s life: he didn’t hide his emotions. When he was happy and having a great day, he let God know. And when he was miserable and depressed, he let God know that too. In all things, he told God what was going on in his heart and mind.

Is the same true for us? We’re happy to post on social media for all to see after our company has had a successful quarter, but are we willing to let anyone see the weight of responsibility we carry when things go wrong? Even forgetting circumstances—whether our company is flourishing our floundering—are we able to put honest words to our real emotions?

Depression is real. It silently affects countless lives, but so much of its power comes from the fact that it’s hidden in the dark. In this instance, David gives us a great example to follow—there’s no reason to hide, no reason to be ashamed, when God already sees it all. We can go to Him, and we can go to the people He has put around us.

Further Thought

• Our friend Max Anderson, in a recent podcast, talked about how entrepreneurs can experience the highest of highs and lowest of lows, just hours apart. When most people think of depression they think of it as something happening months at a time. How do we see the daily battles each hour and seek help in holding these thoughts captive? 
• There’s always more work to do. Unfortunately, it’s a vice that’s readily available to us as we work 50-70 hour work weeks to escape from dealing with our issues. How do we avoid running to our work to escape our emotions? 
• Who is someone in your life that you trust with your honest thoughts and feelings? If you don’t have a person like that in your life, who could you talk to?

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Image Management: Growing through Failure

We all want to appear like we have it all together. As entrepreneurs, we want our investors, employees, and customers to know that everything is under control. We can take care of everything. We can handle whatever comes our way.

The problem with this attitude is that it often ends with us putting up a front. And trying to manipulate the way others perceive us is a slippery slope because eventually all we have is this false frame that others see with no concept of our actual self that lies within it. We can quickly become walking shells of humans with personalities we’ve merely created for ourselves.

Jesus paints us a picture that shows the difference between someone who manages their image and someone who is honest about who they are. In this parable, we see the Pharisee persuading God to perceive him in a certain light. He keeps the things he’s ashamed of to himself and comes to God with only the good—the fasting and the tithing.

But for the tax collector, there’s no front. He knows that he’s a sinner, and he knows that God knows, so why try to hide? All he asks for is mercy. He doesn’t try to curry favor, doesn’t try to bring blessing upon himself. He just wants grace. And as Jesus explains, it’s this heart posture of humility that leads to this man’s justification.

Entrepreneurs can very easily act like the Pharisee in this parable. We can present information—to our shareholders, our friends, our families—that serves as a means for self-justification. “I’m going to meet our next quarter goals.” “I’m going to make sure the job gets done.” “I’m going to be everywhere people need me to be.”

But here’s the truth: we can’t do it alone, and even if we could, it’s not about us anyway. God wants our honest hearts, not the facades we put up for others, or the version of ourselves we’re most proud of. But to give Him that requires humility. And the terrifying truth is that if we don’t humble ourselves, God might humble us for us. He has changed kings and altered kingdoms. If he needs to take away a business to remind us that He is God, that seems well within His reason.

So, what would it take for us to look in the mirror and see what’s really there? What would we need to make us stop pretending like we have everything under control and start showing others and God the truth about what’s really going on?

Further Thought

• What is it about the entrepreneurial journey that fosters the idea that we can control how we’re perceived? Why is there a natural desire for us to determine what others think about us?
• Are there any areas of your life where you’re not being totally honest—with yourself, with others, or with God?
• How would your life look differently if you took down the false front you’ve put up and started living authentically?

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Loneliness: The Death of the Lone Wolf

The role of entrepreneur is a lonely one. Even for those of us who have lots of friends and co-workers, we can still feel isolated.

Objectively, it doesn’t make sense. How can I be isolated if I have a lot of people around me? The key has to do with being fully known and fully loved. And for entrepreneurs, the barriers to entry for that type of relationship are high. 

The more success we achieve, the more guarded we become. All of a sudden it seems like people only want something from us, so we keep them at arm’s length. On the other hand, the more setbacks we face, the more we try to deflect and defend our reputation. We don’t want people to really know how badly we’re struggling. See, we’re our own worst enemy when it comes to vulnerability and authenticity. And it’s these two characteristics that are crucial to being known and loved by others.

But here’s the good news: Jesus knows all of you and loves all of you at all times. We can’t keep Him out. He knows the truth behind all of the facades we put up. The question isn’t will we let Jesus in on what’s really going on (He already knows that). It’s will we accept and enjoy His presence, and will we allow other people to be vessels through which God shows us His love?

For many of us, we’re comfortable with the theological idea that Jesus is always with us. That sounds nice, even when it doesn’t feel true. But when real people become the hands and feet of God, that changes everything. Suddenly, we have names and faces that belong to God’s love. This theological concept of God’s caring affection becomes solidified real quick when we find help in the arms of someone with whom we’ve been vulnerable.

But it takes risk. It takes stepping out of our protective shell and giving others the opportunity to love us. And it is never easy. So, if we find ourselves alone at the top, will we take a chance and allow someone to step into our office and stand on level ground?

Further Thought

• What is it about being an entrepreneur that tends to exacerbate struggles with loneliness or isolation? What about your work keeps you from connecting with others?
• In the past, where have you found Christ-centered relationships? Where could you go to find more friends like that?
• Who is someone in your life that doesn’t know about how lonely and isolated you feel? What would it take for you to go talk to them?

Scripture: Romans 5:18-20

Sexual Brokenness: Our Journey to Healing

No one wants to talk about sexual sin. It’s the dark stain—the scarlet A—on the lives of so many people, yet we too often act like it’s not there at all. And when it comes to statistics, faith-driven entrepreneurs aren’t excluded from this issue—in fact, in a lot of ways, we’re more at-risk for this temptation than most.

• 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis
• 59% of pastors said that married men seek their help for porn use
• 87% of Christian women say they have watched porn
• 33% of women aged 25-and-under search for porn at least once a month

These numbers are a little overwhelming. But what do we do about them? When we hear people talk about pornography and sexual sin, a consistent theme that comes up is the idea of lust management. That means we need to stop doing what we’re doing, we need to put internet filters and accountability in place, and we need to make every effort to rid ourselves of this problem.

And that’s great. Internet filters, accountability, and counseling are all important and helpful things. But white-knuckling our problems only gets us so far, and that often leads to us ignoring the core issues behind this struggle. As our friend Jay Stringer has shared with us, if our sexual brokenness is like a river, then lust management is just one of the tributaries that pours into it. So, what are some of the others?

These vary from person to person and it requires diving deep into your own story to find out exactly what may drive this behavior, but some examples include a desire for power, a need for control, a way to cope with anxiety/uncertainty/confusion, or even a lack of affection and affirmation in our lives. There are countless other sources of sexual brokenness that we have to take the time to address, but for today, there’s good news.

God has given you grace.

That’s past tense for a reason. No matter what you have done, are doing, and will do, God’s grace covers it. It’s undeserved and something we could never earn. “Through the obedience of one”—through the sacrifice of Jesus—righteousness and eternal life have become available. This is the free gift given to all and accepted by those who have turned their lives over to Christ. Our response to this gift is simply to acknowledge our sin, confess it to God and others, and learn to accept the grace and forgiveness He offers.

“Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Sexual brokenness is an area of life where sin always seems to increase—whether in our own lives or in the lives of those around us—but know this: there is no sin that can ever outgrow God’s grace.

Further Thought

• What are some of the ways you’ve dealt with sexual brokenness in the past? What are the ways these approaches did and didn’t work?
• Who is someone in your life that you can have a conversation about this topic with? What would it look like for you to finally confess this thing you’ve kept hidden for so long?
• Why is it difficult to accept God’s grace? Why do you think there’s always a part of us that wants to earn our way into right-standing with God?

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-7

Worry: Acknowledging What’s There

It’s hard to talk about worry with entrepreneurs because for us it’s almost a way of life. There’s no way to start a business without experiencing some form of anxiety. Worry is in the very nature of entrepreneurship. It’s less a question of are you worried about anything and more of what do you do with all the things you’re worried about?

That’s why this verse is so helpful. Peter doesn’t even bother with asking if anyone struggles with anxiety or worry. “Cast all your anxiety on him…” There’s a reason this verse doesn’t say, “If you ever experience anxiety, here’s what to do…” No, it acknowledges the fact that anxiety and worry are real, that everyone experiences them, and that there’s a solution.

Isn’t that refreshing? Worry is a tricky subject because on the surface it seems at odds with the Christian life. If we believe in a God who is in complete control over all things, then what could we possibly have to worry about? The guilt that comes from this type of thinking only makes our anxiety that much worse.

That’s why Peter is the perfect person to give us this message. Remember, this is the man who stepped out of a boat to walk on water toward Jesus. But that’s only part of the story. When he walked on water, he started to drown. Even with the face of Christ right there, Peter got worried. He got nervous, and he started to sink.

So, his advice comes from personal experience: reach out to God. It’s the same thing he did when he found himself sinking a moment after walking on water. He cried out to Jesus and asked for help. And guess what? Jesus grabbed his hand and pulled him up. Why? Because He cares. That’s it!

It takes humility to ask for help. It takes an awareness that we can’t do it on our own. But if we’re seeking freedom from worry—and from depression, image management, loneliness, and sexual brokenness—we have to be willing to reach out. We have to be willing to put our entrepreneurial pride aside for a moment, and we have to let God love us and let others help us.

It starts by acknowledging what’s there. Peter didn’t wonder if anxiety was a thing. He had experienced it and he knew others had as well. So, he called it out. We can do the same. We can recognize the things in our life that make us feel anxious, and we can refute them mentally and verbally with truth.

And the truth is this: God is bigger. The hand of worry that threatens to drag us down is infinitely weaker than the hand of Christ that offers to help us up. Acknowledge your worry is there, address it for what it is, and accept the help of others.

Further Thought

• When was the last time you felt anxious or worried? What do you do to help deal with those feelings?
• What’s one way you could ask for help when you find yourself feeling anxious? Is there a prayer or verse you could turn to?
• Write down an encouraging verse, or a verse that gives you peace, and put it somewhere you can see it often. How does that help you address your worry?
• Who is someone in your life that you need to talk to about one of these issues? When’s the next time you can see that person?