The Biggest Business Stress of All

Mar 3, 2014, Written by Sue Miley


The Bible calls the love of “it” the root of all evil for a reason.  Money motivates us.  It drives us.  We will trade our time for it.  We will fight for it.  In the end, at its worst, it divides us.

It divides us from our piece of mind.

It detaches us from our colleagues and team.

It pulls us away from our family and friends.

It separates us from God.

This can happen when we have too much money, but it really creates barriers when there isn’t enough.

When we do not have enough capital or cash flow in our business to:

small business owners get stressed.

Christian Business Owners Are Not Immune

Christian small business owners do too.

We are only human and we live in “this world.”  In this world, money is the commodity that provides for our needs.

It also provides for our wants.  And sometimes we lack the ability to discern between wants and needs.

Our wants and needs.

Our family’s wants and needs.

The wants and needs of our employees and vendors.

At some level they all feel like needs, and result in added pressure for business owners to produce to maintain their business, and the wants and needs of everyone who depends on the business.

That feels stressful to me just writing it.

But I have been thinking about it a lot.

Money Remains a Great Source of Anxiety

We allow money, or the lack of it, to create anxiety in us.  The anxiety distracts us from what we need to do in our business, and eventually, distracts us from our relationships.  We are either working harder and absent and unavailable to our employees and families, or we are depressed and worried, thus creating a self-fulfilling problem with our business as well as our relationships.

A Solution in the Two Most Important Commandments

Is there a solution?

I believe that the solution lies in the love God and love others commandment that Jesus clearly gives us.

If we stay focused on loving God, we will be spending time with Him, and with that….

  • We will pray more, and with prayer and His will, our needs will be met.
  • We will read the Bible more, and through scripture, God will speak to us, and give us the wisdom and discernment we need.
  • We will be comforted, as the Lord’s yoke is gentle, and He wants to help us to carry our burdens.

If we stay focused on loving others, we will be present when we are with people, and we will focus on them and doing life together.  When we do this…..

  • Our family supports us more.  They do not feel isolated and unloved.
  • Our team will enjoy work more, and stay focused on the mission and vision of the company.
  • Our customers and clients will much prefer to come back again and again if they are buying from a company that is caring and loving and focused on their people and their service.

The Most Valuable Commodity

I am not promising that if we forsake money, and just love everyone, riches will come.  I am only saying if we do the opposite, we will lose more than just money.

I am saying that love, not money, is the most important commodity.

I am saying you may be surprised at how much less stress you will feel in your business with less money and more love.

And, I am saying, you shouldn’t be surprised that if you focus on love rather than money, you may not get everything you want, but your needs will be met.

How do I know this?  Because in God’s Kingdom, love is the most valuable commodity!

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Sue Miley

Sue Miley MBA, MA, LPC helps small business owners build successful businesses on a foundation of Christian values. After 20 years in business, and 10 years as a Christian counselor, Sue uses a combination of faith, business and psychology to help clients in business and in life.

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