God’s timing, not your timing
Today, our focus is on trusting God’s timing over our own. I have plenty of stories illustrating how events unfold according to His timing, not mine.
However, I want to share my journey of starting a business with God. Even if business isn’t your thing, I assure you that this story will resonate with you.
You might have heard bits of this story before, but today, I’m delving deeper than ever. Let me begin with my upbringing. I want to emphasize that I love both my parents dearly and acknowledge their exceptional parenting skills, especially considering that I was a challenging child to raise—I was quite different from either of them.
I challenged authority every chance I got, and I could argue with anyone—even a fence post—and come out on top every time! I’d keep arguing until everyone was worn out, including the fence post. Funny, right?
My dad, much like me, was quite vocal with his opinions (for a good laugh, follow him on Facebook!). I grew up hearing him say, “I would never want to run my own company because then I’d have to worry about everyone else’s livelihood. I wouldn’t want all those families depending on me for work.”
I held onto those beliefs for a long time, even echoing them until I was around 30 years old. I used to say the same thing: “I would never want to own a business. I just want to go to work, do my job, and go home.” I understood where my dad was coming from, but it wasn’t aligned with how God designed me.
And that’s perfectly fine! It’s wonderful how God intentionally designed each of us uniquely, isn’t it?
Here’s the key realization: God wanted me to learn many valuable lessons so that I could become an exceptional leader, not just for our company but also for our community and my family. Curious about what I mean by “tribe”? (Check out the devotional on tribes.)
Moving on…
God employed various roles and positions to mold me into the individual I am today. If my dad hadn’t planted that idea in my mind during my teenage years—that I didn’t want to own a business—I wouldn’t be who I am today. Reflecting on the roles God placed me in, each one has contributed to shaping my character.
During my time at Coke, I learned the fundamentals of vending machine mechanics, and honestly, it was a humbling experience. In my teenage years, I was quite arrogant.
In high school, we took a test that supposedly determined our ideal roles. (Personally, I think it’s a flawed test.) According to the results, it was suggested that I consider a career as a vending machine repairman.
At that moment, it felt like a significant wake-up call for me. (Looking back, I realized I used to look down on certain positions, which isn’t how I see things now.)
God led me to work as a vending machine repair technician—a job with wonderful colleagues in a fantastic company.
Then, I found myself in a hands-on role that introduced me to leadership. I worked at a feed mill (Basin COOP), where in my first year, I nearly faced dismissal multiple times. I even had heated debates with my immediate supervisor (now a close friend), and I successfully hired two part-time employees to assist me with bagging tasks.
To this day, one of them remains one of my closest friends.
If you ask Brian, he’d probably agree that my leadership skills needed work—maybe more than a little, maybe a lot!
Afterward, I found myself in various roles across different companies. Each position taught me valuable lessons that God intended for me to learn.
The major issue was my certainty about being meant for leadership, yet I couldn’t secure a genuine leadership role.
Then, one day, I surrendered to God, saying, “Okay, God, something’s missing. I trust that you’re grooming me for something significant. I’m handing over the reins from now on.”
I decided to find contentment in my current position, but I remained open to seizing any opportunity God presented without hesitation.
He suggested I explore becoming a CDL tester.
“God, I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to move away from trucks. Why would I do that?”
However, I listened. I reached out to the state of New Mexico since I was working there at the time. I discovered that to become a tester in New Mexico, one had to be part of the government or affiliated with a school.
Despite working for the government, it wasn’t something they would have approved.
So, I delved into Colorado’s regulations and found them feasible, albeit after jumping through numerous hoops. After praying, I tackled those hoops one by one. It took 1.5 years from my initial research until I was accepted into a CDL tester course.
Interestingly, I didn’t view this venture as a business initially; perhaps God had a purpose in blinding me to that notion. Subsequently, I joined the fantastic team at Crossfire, who hired me to develop a CDL training program.
I spent 5.5 fulfilling years at Crossfire, relishing the culture and the fantastic relationship with owner Ezra Lee. During my tenure, my role evolved from a static position to one involving extensive travel.
Up until then, the longest I’d been away from Jenna since we married was about 2 days, and that only happened once or twice.
When my responsibilities changed, I felt a mix of excitement and fear. My first trip was a 2-week tour from Durango to El Paso, then west Texas, San Antonio, and back up to Colorado.
I’m sure some of you might think, “What a wuss!” And honestly, I can be a bit of a wuss, haha. It was the toughest thing I’d done in a while. But with weekly trips, it gradually became easier.
As time passed, it became more challenging because I felt disconnected from my kids’ lives. Being a weekend dad wasn’t what I had in mind.
I adjusted my activities while traveling. Initially, I watched shows on planes and listened to music in airports. In the evenings at hotels, I’d chat with Jenna for an hour and then watch TV.
But I shifted from that routine to listening to business podcasts, taking notes, and reading books during travel time.
During the evenings, I dedicated time to crafting plans to spend more time at home with Jenna and our kids. We launched a company, and I created its website, product lists, and pricing strategies after extensive customer research.
I would finish my day job around 6 or 7 p.m., then work on our business until midnight or 1 a.m.—it was a slow process. It took over a year to gain solid ground, and even then, launching was nerve-wracking.
Jenna noticed my growing enthusiasm for our business. Eventually, I had a heart-to-heart with my employer, expecting the worst.
Instead, he gave me a few books to read and encouraged me, saying, “As long as this doesn’t interfere with your work here, I support your entrepreneurial aspirations. Just remember your commitments with us and prioritize building strong relationships.”
Throughout my journey, Ez continued to offer incredible advice. The essence of my story is that I wasn’t ready to be a business owner until I faced the challenges God placed in my path. It was all about shaping me.
While I always knew I was meant for leadership, I never imagined leading so many people. The impact of Eclipse DOT and God’s First Life is remarkable, and I believe God still has much to teach me.
Looking back, had God put me in a leadership role early on, I might never have started Eclipse DOT or God First Life. I would have likely remained stagnant. God knew I was destined for more, just as you are.
Believe that God’s timing far surpasses ours. If it were up to me, I would have been a leader straight out of high school and missed out on becoming who I am today!
God is great all the time.
All the time, God is great!
Enhance your faith-led leadership journey with God First, Life Next. Explore empowering insights at “Trust in God’s Plan and Persevere.” Let faith guide your leadership. Click for purposeful living at GodFirstLifeNext.org.
