Scripture for Six Stages of a Start UpSample

Setbacks: Failing Forward

Paul’s litany of misery is the ultimate trump card when it comes to trials and tribulations. We think we have it bad...The guy went through it all—over and over again he faced suffering and setbacks. Yet, he kept going. Why? How? 

He saw past his setbacks into a future with God that surpassed his present circumstances.

What’s amazing about Paul’s story is that God didn’t make his life easy. Paul knew exactly what God wanted him to do, so he did it, and it was incredibly challenging the entire time. Only one chapter after these verses, Paul describes the thorn in the flesh that God wouldn’t relieve him of.

That’s frustrating, right? Why wouldn’t God make life easier for those who are following Him? Shouldn’t He at least reward us a little for trying to do the right thing?

Even if we’re leading an incredibly God-honoring business that is having a great impact in the lives of our employees, vendors, and customers, we will still face hard times. There will still be days where we feel like a failure. So, what do we do when those times come?

We start by looking to God. It’s cheesy, obvious, and simple, but it’s true. We look to Him and ask Him why. That’s the honest question we have for Him, isn’t it? 

Why would you let this happen? Why am I failing even though I’m trying to do the right thing? Why is it so hard for me to make an honest profit when I see dishonest gain all around me?

Those are the questions we can take to God. Maybe He’ll give us answers right now, and maybe we won’t understand what He’s doing until many years from now. In the meantime, we can know that our business is temporary and His glory is everlasting. And when we set our eyes on His eternal glory, we can see our present setbacks for what they are—temporary struggles that will one day fade in the light of who God is, what He’s done for us, and what He’s still doing in us.

That’s the gift that enables faith-driven entrepreneurs to view setbacks differently. Conflict is one of life’s greatest opportunities to show the world how the Gospel is different—how the hope it gives us changes everything. As entrepreneurs with an eternal perspective, we have the chance to take our setbacks as they come and move forward with a completely new and different attitude.

Further Thought

• Do you bottle up your angry thoughts and frustrations with God? Or do you walk through those with Him or in the Biblical counsel of friends? What would it look like to process those frustrations aloud in order to see what thoughts need to be held captive and what needs to be let go? 
• How can you remind yourself of God’s sovereign presence in the midst of your current setbacks?
• What is it about your faith in God that gives you the ability to respond differently to setbacks than other entrepreneurs could?