Martha’s story of how she overcame obstacles and moved ahead with her life after losing her husband is instructive. The time proven principles she used can be applied to a tentmaker seeking God’s direction in his life as well.
Martha was a successful business woman for many years and used these principles to guide her work. When she lost her husband things seemed to come unglued for a time. Then she re-focused on what had worked in the past. It all started to come together.
Accept Responsibility
In addition to faith, prayer, and Bible study, she took actions to get where God wanted to use her. Her process was simple:
Accept RESPONSIBILITY. The root of the word comes from the idea; ‘Am I able to respond, or how do I respond?” If you want something to change it is up to you to accept responsibility – to respond. Martha decided she needed to take action to change her circumstances and hence her outcome.
State the Problem or Issue
Clearly state the problem or issue. She reflected on why she was in a “funk,” and what needed to change. For a tentmaker it might be a little different. Perhaps the tentmaker is pondering where God wants to use him, or how can he find employment in his field in a place he does not know?
Once the obstacle is defined it is easier to focus ones thinking on generating options. Sorting through the options leads to the formulation of a goal and a plan to get there..
Identify a GOAL and a PLAN
Martha related the oft told story relates about a Harvard study in 1979 that asked entering students, “Did they have clearly defined, written goals?” The outcome was not surprising. 84% had no goals. 13% had goals, but not a written plan. A mere 3% had written goals and a PLAN to accomplish them.
Marth’s Story
This was a longitudinal study which meant that they followed the careers of these students for the next 10 years. At the end of the study the 3% group had made 10x more money than the other 97% combined.
When I went to research the source of the story I discovered that it was probably apocryphal – that is there is no record of such a study ever being conducted. However, the conclusion of the story has not been challenged. The wisdom of committing to a written plan and goals has been shown anecdotally to be true over and over again.
For a tentmaker a plan could be very detailed or just an outline for the major milestones and how to get there. More detail is better, but just the act of committing to a written plan is a major improvement over no plan at all. Your tentmaker journey begins with a God-given plan. As progress is made you revise your plan out into the future. Always bare in mind that you are seeking to align yourself with God-s plan, not simply create something of your own wishful thinking. Commit your ways to the Lord and he will direct your paths. Psalm 37.5 “promises, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you
Moving Ahead
In a future issue of Tentmaking Today we will continue the story with HOW Martha developed her plans and goals.
If you are struggling to get past “stuck,” consider reaching out to the Tentmaker community of Tent International. We have centers around the world with experienced staff ready to walk with you along your journey at whatever stage you are in the process. You may just be wondering is God really asking me to do this? Or at the stage of now that I’m here what do I do?
By Phill Sandahl
phill@tentinternational.org