I’ve been working for churches for 15 years, but, as many of you know, I’m only 12 months into this journey to focus full-time on church consulting and leadership coaching. I’m helping churches (and businesses now) get unstuck. It’s been an amazing journey.
Though I’m engaging leadership and strategic planning solutions that I’ve used for years, I’m also very much in the middle of launching a startup business. Because I’m wired up to be entrepreneurial, I absolutely love it! But, at the same time, I’m also very aware of my responsibility to be the provider for my family. There is definitely risk involved. I’m reminded of it every time my family sits down at the dining room table to eat.
It’s with that in mind that this quote grabbed my attention this morning. Jinesh Parekh is the founder of a Ruby on Rails Development shop named Idyllic Software which exclusively works with startup’s to help build their MVP. He shared this in an article on Under30CEO.com:
“Most entrepreneurial journeys also start with an inner calling. It requires you to give up what you have and take the first step into the forest. The calling to act is so powerful, that it defies all logic and never makes sense.
“But when you take your first step and enter the unknown, you get your metamorphic death. You separate out of your comfort zone to enter the unknown. The hero’s journey begins.”
I’ve certainly experienced that as the owner of a business startup. That principle of giving up what you have to take the first step, though, applies to so many different areas of our lives.
- If we want a healthy marriage, we have to give up our selfish pursuits to prioritize the needs of our spouse.
- If we want to go to the next level in our leadership, we have to give up the comfort of how we’ve led in the past.
- If we want to take our next steps toward Christ, we have to give up everything and die to self to follow Jesus.
Jesus said it like this:
“Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25-27, MSG)
Each of these examples certainly defies logic. Of course, the irony is that the bigger risk is to never engage the unknown. Rarely does growth and fulfillment happen in the places where we are most comfortable. In fact, the places of comfort are typically those instances when we are susceptible to experiencing the most painful challenges.
I just needed to be reminded this morning that my inner calling must remain louder than my natural tendency to hang on to what’s most comfortable. Maybe you don’t wrestle with that. I do.
