It takes hustle and prayer. Owning a business is hard work. It can be lonely being an entrepreneur. It also takes courage and bravery to walk in a different direction than how the world defines success.
What is the Biblical view of work, hustling, and our duty to those we serve? This week Erin Harrington shared some grace-filled wisdom with us about business, success, and what it really takes to make it happen.
What does hustle mean?
So there are two definitions that I found I think in Webster's or dictionary.com. The first (1st) one is to work with a sense of urgency and do it energetically. The second ( 2nd ) one is all about pushing and driving and striving and making things happen.
The Bible doesn't mention the word hustle. However, what I've discovered about Jesus's life, Jesus was busy. I mean, Jesus was hustling for the Lord, right? Like he's working with small groups and mentoring. He's talking and speaking to large groups.
Plus, he had a short timeline, right? Because he knew that he had limited time to get this done. So you could say that he was working energetically for his purpose, but he was also working with a sense of urgency. But the world's definition of success tends to be that 2nd definition where we have to go make it happen and do more and all of these mantras that are all about us doing it on our own. Redefining that starts with understanding, how does God define us and where is our identity actually anchored? How does God define success? How do we put that into action? It's a very different feeling.
Is hustle a positive word?
Hustle can be positive or negative, it depends upon how you use it. The Hustle With Heart Formula, that I developed, is how God defines us and directs us. We put that into discipline and then over time we continue to develop it with the help of the Holy Spirit of course.
In Joel Chapter 2 verse 11, it says “he who executes the word is powerful.” So remember that we're executing and putting into action, the definition and the direction that the Lord has given us. And so if no word from His mouth returns void, we physically cannot fail in what he's given us. It's only when we get ourselves wrapped up in it that we start to think we're failing when we're not.
Does hustle just mean work hard?
Where I asked for the most prayer, when I'm launching something is let me just be surrendered to what the Lord wants to do with it, because I can have in my mind how many people I want to buy it, or how many clients I want to work with.
And that can very quickly spiral to me being sort of in this frantic anxious toil if you will and that surrender piece to let it be his is hard. It's for me, the biggest struggle because I know that He's called me to this and I know there's a purpose to this. I was praying about it this morning, “Lord I've put a lot like there's so much time and energy and effort here. I just, want to see some fruit.”
Like I know you, you make us to produce much fruit right? Through your pruning, because you are the vine and we are the branches. But, that piece is hard. It's hard and I am constantly praying over that.
Listen to the full episode here;