Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 268 – Resilience

As you have probably surmised, I do not see business as a secular pursuit solely for profit. Since you are a reader of this post, I suspect you think the same. Bringing value to this good earth and its people is a spiritual endeavour, infused with environmental and social purpose, aimed at the financial goal of flourishing. It’s challenging work often marked by setbacks. So how does one survive when one’s business is cut to the roots?

“At least there is hope for a tree:
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots will not fail.“  Job 14:7.

I propose we look to nature as our model. Last year we transplanted almost 50 trees onto an abandoned coalmine, including dogwood and wolf willow. When we checked on them this spring, the deer and snowshoe hares had girdled them, killing the above ground growth. But from the ground, new shoots were already emerging. The roots had survived, drawing from hidden water and supported by the underground ecosystem. 

This same resilience underpins the work of my colleague Tony Rinaudo, whose Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) initiative has restored thousands of acres using this very principle: regeneration from the roots.

“but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:2,3

What are you doing to make sure your business is resilient? Most of us reading this devotion have had the tops cut off, branches broken, trunks girdled in their operations. How does one grow back? I would argue the only way to survive – and thrive – is to intentionally develop deep spiritual roots into the Living Water of Jesus, and to form interdependent relationships in the soil that is the community around you. 

When your branches break, you can reach out to Jesus and community for support. When your community has tops cut off, you can help. You, too, can restore your business and community environment. Just like Tony did with forests.

Prayer

God, when my tops get cut off, help me grow back from the roots that draw your Living Water. 

Amen