Abe Alba

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want . I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

This is particularly difficult for someone who is so into finance and money—someone well aware of KPI’s, ROI’s, ROA’s and other financial indicators. They say that eyes are the windows to the soul; I believe spreadsheets are the windows to the business’s soul. And just like the eyes, they are but a small, though crucial, part of a more profound entity.

Why do we build businesses in the first place? Is it to serve others or a purpose? Is it to avoid serving others? Is it to make a lot of money—or at least to make ends meet? Is it to gain our freedom? And if so, why many successful entrepreneurs state that you will eventually become a slave to your own company? Is all the money, success and recognition worth it, considering the law of diminishing marginal utility?

Jesus Christ, being the Son of God and starving after forty days in the desert, refused to to convert the rocks into bread. Instead, he chose to fight back pronouncing these words spoken by Moses when Israel was about to enter the Promised Land: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

In my country, Mexico, there are several taco shop chains that—I suppose—must do very well in numbers. I am convinced they operate in accordance with the finest accounting techniques. Yet, although they are popular among a certain sector of the population, not few Mexicans consider their products to be soulless tacos. I know by experience that foreigners love them simply because they don’t know what to expect, but they rarely enjoy them as much once they have tried a street taco. Again, there are fundamental aspects that can only come from compromise, calling, ethics, purpose, heart.

Everyday life pushes us to busily seek for the numbers to go higher and higher, making us scared of them dropping, and keeping us from realizing or learning the lessons the Lord means to teach us in the desert. This post might not make sense for non-believers; I am talking to those who believe: Maybe the Lord is setting us free from modern slavery. Maybe He wants us to be free in the middle of this world imprisoned by the market’s fatalistic pessimism or its dangerously unjustified optimism. He makes us free in the middle of an imprisoned world so everyone can see He is the Lord.

Why do we build businesses or pursue bachelors, masters, or PhDs in the first place? Do we do it to become slaves or to fulfill a purpose greater than ourselves? Is it to gain our freedom? “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes […] your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Everything we do—especially as believers—should be done with all our might and excellence. Yet, our eyes should be set on the Lord rather than just on the ups and downs of the market. We must never forget that our goal is to own the business, and not the other way around.

How about you? What are your thoughts on the matter?

Abe Alba