For Our Businesses & Workers
“Do everything without grumbling and arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, innocent children of God surrounded by people who are crooked and corrupt. Among these people you shine like stars in the world.”
- Philippians 2:14-15
Heavenly Father, my creator,
Lord Christ Jesus, my brother,
Holy Spirit, my captain,
I pray for American business, businesses and workers.
Our workers are on strike.
Our writers—though they settled a deal this week
Our actors
Our auto workers
Our healthcare workers
These are just examples of the vocal ones,
The ones who unionized and walked out
To wield their power and get what they desire.
But, our service workers are on strike too,
Not unionized, but individually,
Asking for wages of $25 to $35 to $45 an hour or more.
Backbreaking, business-breaking rates for the small business owner.
If the small business pays these rates,
They struggle to cover their own costs, let alone make a profit.
And, if these small businesses don’t pay,
They don’t have the workers to service their customers.
Their customers leave because of the lack of service.
The business eventually fails.
The business owners—the entrepreneurs—who took all the risk,
Invested their savings and took out loans and put their personal assets on the line,
Lose their income and their livelihoods and possibly their homes.
Add in inflationary pressures.
It’s unsustainable.
Who has the leverage?
What is America’s business culture?
Do we still have a work ethic?
Do we still have ethics?
As a leader and a manager,
I have experienced our young workers,
In people under ~35,
The work ethic isn’t there.
The desire to listen and learn isn’t there.
The patience to develop and grow isn’t there.
But, an entitlement rages within them—
A thoughtless, ignorant and aimless tempest
That ruins team culture,
Drags their teammates through the muck,
Distracts from the purpose and performance of the business,
And inhibits the potential good the business can do in people’s lives.
“The desires of the lazy will kill them, because their hands refuse to do anything.”
- Proverbs 21:25
“There is profit in hard work, but mere talk leads to poverty.”
- Proverbs 14:23
Lord,
The dynamics of people, business and culture are complex.
The levers of economics are challenging.
But, if it is your will,
Let this be an opportunity for Americans to come together—
For our investors, leaders, managers and workers
To find some commonality, humility and grit,
To rediscover American ingenuity
To rediscover the American work ethic
So ingrained in our founding belief system:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Let us find perseverance and passion in our pursuit,
And clarity that Life, Liberty and Happiness come from you.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
- John 14:6
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
- Galatians 5:1 & 5:13
“You will definitely enjoy what you’ve worked hard for—you’ll be happy; and things will go well for you.”
- Psalm 128:2
To my Father, In Christ’s name, through the Holy Spirit, I pray.
AMEN.
