What Does Faith Have to Offer Entrepreneurs in Times of CrisisEsimerkki

After the dark times he went through, Paul writes at the end of 2 Corinthians 1, ‘ [..] so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many’ (verse 11). Paul is an expert through experience, a man familiar with suffering, persecution, pain, and despair. But he also saw God’s hand in the suffering, and he experienced God’s presence. This made him stronger and resilient so that he can say, ‘[..] the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed’ (2 Cor. 4: 7-9).

As Christian entrepreneurs, we also experience our share of suffering, but we need not lose hope. There is a God who wants to save us and wants to be our foundation. Paul has reached this conclusion, precisely because God is the basis of our existence, even in our suffering. It is a conclusion drawn in hindsight, but that may sometimes be uttered even before new experiences of suffering. ‘[..] in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’ (Phil. 4:6). Do not use this thanksgiving as a means to achieve the desired result, but let it be an authentic outcome of a personal process in which suffering has received an appropriate place.

Consider a similar story of Elsa, an entrepreneur who suffers much physical pain. Often she is not able to do her job properly, because she is limited by her illness, but she is always prepared to help others. She prays with people, comforts them, and is a source of hope and comfort for many. She hardly ever complains. She does not focus on herself, and sharing in the lives of others makes her glad. She has a unique way of sharing life with others and people love to be in her presence. She praises God for this and with her way of living, she leads people into the presence of God. For me, she is an example of Paul’s conclusion in 2 Corinthians 4:10 that we are ‘always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.’ It is she who reminds me, as a healthy man, of thanking God at all times, including my adversities, because our God is extraordinarily special. For He is ‘the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4). It is wonderful to have this God as a friend, even in times of suffering and crisis

Question for the day
What experiences are the sources of your giving thanks and praise to God?


For more information about Christian entrepreneurship, read the book The Jerusalem Entrepreneur: Becoming a Source of Well-Being by Wouter Droppers or write an email to: wouter.droppers@europartners.org

More about the author:
Wouter Droppers (1964) has been working with entrepreneurs and business leaders for over 35 years. He is married, with two children, and lives in the Netherlands.

He has directed various companies. At the moment he is the president of Europartners, an international movement of Christian businessmen (www.europartners.org). As such, he advises, encourages, and supports Christian entrepreneurs throughout Europe. Wouter also studied theology at the Baptist Seminary in the Netherlands and is the author of the book The Jerusalem Entrepreneur: Becoming a Source of Well-Being about entrepreneurship from a Christian perspective.