Family

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Recently my business-sense was thrown for a loop. I had a discussion with a colleague about marketing efforts and how frustrated she was that she wasn’t seeing the increase in sales that she desired. A day or so later I had a conversation with a woman that I mentor about how great her business was growing, but how she still felt like she couldn’t reach the level of success that she was seeking. And then I talked with a wonderful Christian businessman who told me all about the success he was seeing in his business – he has been given awards by his company, all kinds of accolades and even an expensive car. And yet he was still straining toward the ever-moving target of success.


Those conversations left me wondering if I should be more focused on money making. Was I doing myself and my business a disservice by not climbing the so-called corporate ladder? I began to doubt myself and my decisions. I began to make a list of all the marketing efforts that I needed to begin to ramp up sales and make things happen.


But then, as I sat reading my Bible one morning, I felt God nudging me to take a good hard look at the real issue going on. I felt Him – in that still small voice of the Holy Spirit – asking me if I was going to choose to pursue money or choose Him.


Ouch.


We know that God’s Word tells us in Luke 16:13 that “"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."


I saw that I had a choice to make. One that I have made countless times in the past.


I could set my sights on money (or success, fame, fortune) and find myself:

· Worried only about money.
· Making decisions based solely on finances
· Not considering the human/ministry aspect of my business - the women who are looking for help to make their way home to their children

Or I could choose to set my eyes on Christ alone and find myself:

· Ruled by His peace that surpasses understanding
· Making decisions based on God’s leading – regardless of if they make sense financially
· Tuned in to the people my business impacts , reaching them for the kingdom of God

The choice is ours. We can choose to rely on our business-smarts, our financial know-how and the prescriptions for success given to us by the world. Or we can choose to focus on our relationships with God and let Him lead us in how to go about running our businesses.


What will your choice be?


Jill Hart's entrepreneurial career began in her teens when she spent a summer working with her father who ran his own business. When he put her in charge of a Coke machine and allowed her to keep the profits, she saw the benefits of being her own boss. She is the founder of the popular Christian work-at-home website, CWAHM.com. Jill has articles published in In Touch Magazine, P31 Woman magazine and Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, as well as across the web on sites like DrLaura.com. She is the author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom and speaks to audiences around the country about faith, business and leadership topics. Learn more about Jill at JillHart.com and connect with her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SpeakerJillHart) and Twitter @cwahm.

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