The Perseverance of an EntrepreneurSample

Letting Go of Anxiety

This verse is another one of those frustratingly simple commands. Don’t be anxious about anything. Talk about easier said than done...

There’s nothing like being an entrepreneur that produces stress and anxiety. It’s just part of the job, right? When it comes to being an entrepreneur, the question isn’t whether or not your anxious, but what are you anxious about. 

So, what do we do in those times? How do we respond to the situations and circumstances that produce anxiety? We have two options: close our fists or open them. We can seek to gain more control of the situation, or we can let it go.

Seeking control is the entrepreneurial way. We’ve all done this. Call it micromanaging, over-working, over-thinking, or whatever you want, this concept comes out in many different ways. The point is that entrepreneurs naturally have a tendency to grasp at whatever straws aren’t going the way we want them to.

And that’s where this call to Christians is so different. The world would tell you that if something is causing you to worry, go and fix it. That’s your job. But what Paul tells us is to be faithful and give it to God. Whatever thing is making you anxious, surrender your control over it and present it to God in prayer.

But how? Again, this is so much easier said than done. In another one of his letters, Paul encourages believers to “pray without ceasing.” Pray non-stop. That’s his answer. Invite God into everything. 

The simple fact of the matter is that we can’t experience the peace of God if we’re not first with God. So, if you want the second half of this verse to be true in your life, listen to the first half. Pray about everything—requests, worries, wishes, anxieties, concerns, and everything in between.

God wants to hear from you. He wants to walk alongside you. And if we want peace in place of anxiety, there’s no better option than inviting the God of all peace to join us on our entrepreneurial journey.

Further Thought

• Have you ever thought of using prayer as a defense against worry or anxiety?
• Is there a time in your life when talking to God helped you get through a difficult circumstance?
• How would your life, as well as your approach to business, change if you surrendered control of things to God?