KINGDOM MINDED ENTREPRENEURSHIP: KEEP THE DILIGENCE, LOST THE HUSTLE AND GRIND
Before we dive in, let’s take a look at the definitions of hustle, grind, and diligence.
Hustle: to push or force one’s way; to jostle or shove; to be aggressive, especially in business or other financial dealings; to earn one’s living by illicit or unethical means.
Grind: To shape, sharpen, or refine with friction.
Diligence: Careful and persistent work or effort.
When we sit down and think about the way these words are defined, “hustle” and “grind” become interesting terms to describe a Kingdom minded approach to entrepreneurship. Don’t get me wrong, I will be the first to raise my hand and admit I have absolutely used these terms a lot in the past. There are times when I still catch myself using these words.
I thought I needed to hustle and grind in order to prove myself, define my worth, force something, make it happen, get validation from my peers, or just fit in with the entrepreneurial crowd and rhetoric. At the time, I didn’t even bother questioning what the true meanings of the words “hustle” and “grind” meant. I just followed suit with the rest of the world, the entrepreneurial influencers, and the terminology they were all using to express “what it takes” to build a business.
That is, until I began to really ponder how entrepreneurship should be modeled from a kingdom perspective versus how the world modeled entrepreneurship. This is where my mind and thoughts began to take a step back and shift to a Kingdom mindset of entrepreneurship. For a large portion of my life, the world was defining my view of entrepreneurship. But I soon started coming before the Lord to ask Him what it meant to be an entrepreneur in His kingdom.
First, I heard Him say that it’s not my responsibility to supply everything. I don’t have to hustle to make sure I get what I need. “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Sometimes as an entrepreneur we have to take a step back and determine what it is we are working FOR. The Lord promises to supply what we need. So maybe I have to be honest with myself that my own hustle and grind might be driven more by doing it for my family, doing it for my kids, my desire to have money, not necessarily supply what I need.
The worldly model of entrepreneurship tells me that if I just hustle, I will get rich. We live in a culture that worships “fiat money”, and we often get caught in a place of hustling (forcing or shoving) our way into getting MORE. I have found a lot of entrepreneurs will justify their hustle to as a means to provide for their family or children when in reality it’s a pursuit of MORE money, wealth, possessions, and status. I believe the enemy loves it when he traps entrepreneur’s in this worldly mindset (present company included), because it honestly distracts them from being in a place of gratitude to a God who supplies all their needs while also taking time away from what is most important (their family and the purpose for their life). When we come into building a business not out of what we do not have, but out of a place of what we have already been given, our approach to how we build that business can come more into alignment with how God works.
“For everything there is a season… A time for every activity under Heaven.“ (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Someone who grinds always searches for, moves, seeks to master and forcibly create their position. A grinder desperately seeks opportunity for themselves in order to prove their worth to others. A grinder shapes themselves into what they feel like they will need to be in order to become who they want to become, especially in regards to business. According to Ecclesiastes, you cannot create your season. The time for your success or for your business to grow or for the product to see completion, cannot be appointed by you. I truly believe the Lord will position you where He wants you to be. It’s not your job to make yourself into something. You were already created with value. And, there is a season to you, your business, and your product development. Know what season you are in, and you won’t have to grind to create a season God didn’t give you. Each season contains in it preparation for the next season. It is the Lord’s job, not yours, to refine you. Let HIM do the grinding. Shaping you and refining you to be ready for the season you will step into next.
Let’s look at Jesus’ life for a minute. I do not believe people or even theologians would see Him as someone who was a hustler and grinder. In fact, I believe the life He lived looked the exact opposite. He worked when He needed to. He was not lazy. But, I don’t believe that Jesus woke up thinking about what He needed to do to get His hustle on. Jesus would wake up while it was still dark and leave his house to a secluded place to spend time with the Father. (Mark 1:35) This verse alone should tell you Jesus was not quick to get up and get his hustle and grind on (or go build in Jesus’ case). He wasn’t even concerned about that. He was most concerned about spending time with the Father. He was prepared to do the work God had asked of Him, when He had first aligned Himself with the will of the Father and allowed God to outline His tasks for the day.
I believe that is a place that we, as entrepreneurs, need to get to. Keep the diligence, but lose the hustle and grind. We have to remember the Kingdom of Heaven is an upside down Kingdom and operates the opposite of how the world operates. I would say Jesus was a hard worker, a carpenter by trade. But He made time to be about God’s business. We must be the same. We must ask God everyday what we are to be about. We must allow Him to order each and every step. When Kingdom Minded entrepreneurs define hard work, we must do it in the same way that God defines it.
Our focus should be DILIGENCE. Diligence is different than a hustle. Diligence requires excellence and it requires persistence. “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the DILIGENT is richly supplied.” (Proverbs 13:4) “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the DILIGENT makes rich.” (Proverbs 10:4) Diligence simply means consistency with careful excellence. The only way to be careful in our excellence is to let God order our tasks. And the only way to be consistent is to hold true to the belief that small steps, completed over time actually create the results. A kingdom minded entrepreneur goes at the Lord’s pace and knows when to hit the gas or pump the brakes. There’s no rush or quick way to the finish line. In the fairy tale, The Tortoise and The Hare, the tortoise always wins the race. If you are consistent in your work (not trying to force anything to happen), are persistent, and do it with excellence, He will make the way for you. It’s His promise to you and my encouragement to you. BE DILIGENT!