Business at its best is love in action. Don’t believe me? Think this through with me. No matter what business you are in, at its core, the purpose of your business is to serve people. I know, I know, prevailing wisdom is that the purpose of business is to make a profit. While profit is important, it is not a purpose. Profit is a result[1] of meeting needs. Every business meets some kind of need. If it doesn’t meet a need, it doesn’t stay in business.
Stay with me. I hear the objections. I’m not saying that the only motivation for business is love. People are motivated by many things, and most motivations are selfish. When we misunderstand the purpose of business as service to people, and substitute other motivations, of course we get off-track. It may even be that most business is more aptly described as greed in action.
But I’m not talking about business at its worst, or even at average. I am saying that business, at its best, is love in action. Those in business who understand that their purpose is to serve people, and who do so with passion—that’s who I’m talking about. When we serve people with love, putting their needs ahead of our own, work becomes enjoyable, satisfying—and often, more profitable!
Prayer at its best is love in action. Think about your most fervent prayers. Aren’t those the prayers for the people you love? Of course, not all prayer is the best kind. We have mixed motives for prayer, just like we do for work. Sometimes our prayers are just as self-focused and greedy as our work. But again, I’m not talking about those.
Think about your most effective prayers. Aren’t they the most selfless—and perhaps even the most self-sacrificing—prayers that you’ve prayed? If you are like me, you’ve found that the prayers you pray for others are more likely to come to pass than the prayers you pray for yourself.
By its very nature, prayer is relational. Prayer is communication with God. In my experience, when I communicate with God for the sake of people, my love for them increases. When I join God in focusing on loving people, He shows me how to serve them well. I become a better person. They get better service. Good things happen—for them, and usually for me, too.
Why wouldn’t we bring that to work with us?
Business at its best is love in action. Prayer at its best is love in action. At its core, Strategic Business Prayer is simply bringing together two great ways to serve with love.
So let’s get to work!
This blog post was originally published as the foreward to the book, Strategic Business Prayer, by Dawn (DJ) Whitestone.
[1] See Simon Sinek’s excellent TED Talk, the Golden Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Tw0PGcyN0
About the Author
Dawn Whitestone is the Founding Partner for WhiteStone Professionals, LLC and the author of Strategic Business Prayer and the Strategic Business Prayer Workbook. Her passion is growing people into their full potential. Ms. Whitestone has developed a targeted approach to organizational growth and professional development utilizing the Four P’s: Purpose, Plans, People and Productivity. She is sought after as a speaker, Executive Coach, Business Consultant and Program Development Specialist in the areas of Leadership, Professional and Personal Development and Coaching.
