Hope as a bridge between faith and action
The intersection of faith and your family business (Hebrews 11:1)
My last two reflections explored hope in the context of families in business. First I looked at hope as a part of our character: born in trials, shaped through perseverance. Then I wrote about how ocassionally adopting a less hopeful perspective offers motivation when considering changes in the family business.
One of my favorite verses involving hope comes from the opening line of Hebrews:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
While the focus is on faith, the author lists how a number of biblical characters such as Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Samson, and David (to name a few!), used hope as a bridge, connecting what they believed to what they did, coupling what they knew (their “assurance”) to how they lived.
Faith, at the core of a family business, isn’t about achieving a certain result. It doesn’t mean the business will be wildly successful, or even avoid failure. You will still experience family estrangement, or accidental deaths, or severe frustration during the succession process. Having faith doesn’t make the practicality of estate planning easier, nor does it lessen the disappointment of a son or daughter not returning, or prematurely leaving, the business.
Instead, having faith at the core of a family business means continually acting with hope, even (or especially) for that which is not seen. Hope is a demonstration of what you believe. Hope shows in your behavior when facing adversity. Hope might be substantiated in your difficult choice about ending or splitting the business for the sake of the family. Hope may be confirmed in your efforts to reconcile with a family member, or evidenced in acts of hospitality toward your in-law, despite past conflict.
Acting with hope is a most visible demonstration of faith, a bridge between what you believe and how you act individually or as a family working together.
What things have you hoped for in your family or family business? How have your actions aligned with that hope?