Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 290 – Stalled hearts

This may be the first devotion you have read inspired by a traffic jam.

I was on the highway from Calgary to Edmonton when traffic came to a shuddering halt. What should have been free-flowing lanes turned into a parking lot. The reason? The sheer number of cars exiting toward CrossIron Mills, a large shopping centre.

I felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, I was grateful, and I admit I was making generous assumptions, that people were buying gifts for others. On the other hand, I felt a sadness at the sight of so many people bowing, perhaps unknowingly, to the god of consumerism. I found myself wondering about the motivations of the drivers ahead of me, credit cards at the ready.

It got me thinking of what motivation drives the work we do in our business or organization? In business, there is often a quiet and persistent temptation to drift toward greed, to begin worshipping cash flow rather than the flow of the Spirit. In my own experience, slipping into this trap was not a dramatic fall. It was a slow, almost imperceptible process. Not a giant leap, but a series of small steps.

It reminds me of the Hebrew word for sin, חָטָא (ḥāṭā), which means “to miss the mark.” Missing the mark is rarely sudden. More often, it happens through small misalignments that accumulate over time.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:15

I doubt Ebenezer Scrooge, in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, became his shriveled, miserly self overnight. His transformation into a man ruled by money likely took place through countless small choices, each one slightly colder, slightly meaner, until generosity had almost disappeared from view.

“The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favour with him.” – Proverbs 11:1

So how do we avoid missing the mark? How do we turn around? How do we practise repentance in the everyday pressures of business life?

For me, it is the daily discipline of prayer. Morning prayer to align my heart before the day begins, and an evening check-in to reflect honestly. What is shrinking the soul, and what is expanding it? Confession. Gratitude. And the simple question asked before God: “How am I doing?”

Keeping a short account with God works.

Prayer

Gracious God,
You see the roads we travel, both visible and hidden.
You know how easily our hearts can become congested with fear, greed, and distraction.

Search us and realign us.
Forgive us for the small steps that lead us away from you,
and for the ways we miss the mark.

Teach us to keep in step with your Spirit in our work,
to measure success not only by profit, but by faithfulness, generosity, and love.

Amen