Remembering What You Don’t Know…

Jen Hubbell here. Joining in with Rick to encourage you.

In Boise news today, one of the lead stories was how Boise State’s summer term has on of the highest enrollments ever. The state of the economy is forcing people back to school. After months of sending out resumes upon resumes, many are realizing they need more. Whether it’s to brush up on the latest computer applications, get continuing education in their current occupation, or completely shift gears, people are recognizing what they don’t know and looking for answers.

As a Christian, when I remember what I DON’T know I am thankful for WHO I DO know. As I am sure you’ve heard many people say, “The older I get, the more I realize how much I don’t know”. As we add wisdom to our repertoire, we no longer need to be the leading authority on everything to look good, we have the God of the Universe at our back who is the true Know-it-All. I can’t tell you the number of times I have had seen God come through in our business because He knew when we didn’t. We must continually make a conscious choice to recognize God as the head of our business. He is the one who brings in the customers, the deals, the raises, and the success. We must have a heart of surrender to the plan of God in and through our business. Psalm 112 says, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands”. Are you listening to his commands concerning your job, your family, your community? When will we stop relying on our own wisdom and start relying on His?

Don’t get me wrong. In no way do I discount education, training, or becoming skilled in your field to the point your rise above the rest.

In fact, I am longing for the day when our Universities are filled with men and women who love God and fear him. I see a generation taking their place as believers in the marketplace because the have taken seriously the call of God on their vocations. I see Christian students being the inventors, discoverers, and pioneers that our world needs. Passionate people … with purposeful education.

I love just thinking about it!

Ok, so how do we as people who have schedules, deadlines, bids, teams to manage, etc. be practical and spiritual at the same time? We remember what we don’t know. We remember that we can’t predict the future, that is in God’s hands… so we trust God. We remember that there are people out there who are smarter than us, so we always have more to learn… that propels us to always give our best. And we remember that we can’t control everything, so we control who we hang with, what we hear, how much of the word of God is planted in our hearts so that we can be effective and productive in what we do. Woo-hoo! I am a huge fan of 2 Peter 1… One of my friends once told me, “Oh yeah, that’s typical of a type A, overachiever”. Ok, so I admit it, I want to be all the more eager to make my calling and election sure, to participate in the divine nature, and to have my life make a splash for the Kingdom of God! Is that so wrong??

Back to some practical tips… I am sounding like my husband again… now let me give you something that will not only get you excited, but be applicable to your lives and your businesses. Here are 3 practical tipsto help you Remember What you Don’t Know (in other words, put God 1st) in your business practically:

1. Commit your plans to the Lord. He says when you do that, by the way, that you will succeed. Sounds good to me!

When I used to manage a retail store, I would show up early before my employees arrived and I would pray over my store with my Assistant Manager. We would walk through the store commiting everything to Him, believing Him for sales, great customer relations, employees, you name it… Pray before you hire people or partner with someone. You never know when God’s plans are different than yours and you may need to tweak a contract, change the business plan, etc.

2. Study to Show Yourself Approved. Whether it’s fast-track, traditional, supplemental… just get on the track and start learning!

Do you know the best teachers are the ones who are always learning themselves. A dear friend of mine is an amazing third grade teacher. She has high expectations, creative methods,and wonderful results. I have never met a teacher (and I know a lot of them) who takes as many classes as she does. She is always learning, always building, and always bringing something fresh to her classroom. That is why I will do whatever it takes to get my children in her class. She is top notch. That is why your customers will come to you. Because you are top notch. You know what you’re talking about. You are on top of the trends in your field. You’ve made the choice to study.

3. Be Resourceful. Not in the wash your ziplock bags out and use them again way, friends!

Know your resources and use them. People are one of the best resources you will ever find. If you are a connector, connect people who need each other. I will shamelessly promote our networking site now… Do you know that believers from all over the place are finding each other, helping each other, praying for each other and even offering jobs to each other just because of the amazing resource they have found in www.innovativechristian.ning.com?? Also, be resourceful when it comes to solutions for your current need in business… teach your employees (or your spouse to find the best answer to things. Don’t send a customer away just because, “it’s policy” or “we’ve never done that”. Help them out. It’ll pay off. I promise.

Finally, I must apologize for my lack of super-coolness on the presentation side. For you visual learners, DON’T WORRY… Rick will be back, but you will also hear from me and others from time to time! We are all in this together… The more I tried to make it look good, the worse it got… I think. Ok, I am remembering what I don’t know! I hope this was an encouragement to you all. Keep up the good work!

Blessings upon you and your endeavors,

Jen Hubbell