Faith & Family Business
When a gift becomes a burden (1 Samuel 17:38-39)
Welcome to my third Faith and Family Business series, focusing on the Biblical King David. David’s story explores a full range of emotions and experiences in life, offering insights about ourselves and others in work and family. My hope is that your own faith, family, and understanding of your family business will be enriched by considering David's story.
In my last reflection, King Saul gives David permission to fight Goliath. Then he gives David the clothing and tools meant to help him to protect himself in battle. But there’s a problem:
Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. (1 Sam. 17:38-39).
Saul wants to help David succeed, so he gives him a helmet and armor. He is literally trying to protect David as he heads into battle. But the gift doesn’t fit. It constrains him, it restricts his movement. It’s “untested” — he’s not familiar with it. He takes off the protective clothing, thereby declining the gift.
There are many gifts offered in a family business setting. From being given a job, to receiving financial benefits and perks in the business, to accruing gifts of assets during the parents’ estate planning efforts, generosity to family members often goes hand-in-hand with operating a family enterprise. But those gifts can sometimes work against us. The gift of a job may constrain a family member from pursuing their true vocation. A gift of assets, particularly when given in the form of shared ownership of a company, may be harmful to the relationship among siblings, particularly if they are “untested” as business partners. Sometimes, the gift given with the best intentions becomes a burden to the receiver.
Have you ever received a gift that turned out to be more of a burden than a blessing? How will you ensure the gifts you give “fit” the needs of your family members?