Welcome to my weekly Faith and Family Business reflections, where I (briefly) probe important questions that arise in family business – questions relating to behavior, relationships and legacy – from the angle of a Biblical story. For more information about this series, click here.
Jacob, after leaving his immediate family, finally reaches his uncle Laban’s land. Laban asks Jacob what it would take for him to stay and work. Jacob tells him he’ll stay seven years if he can marry his youngest daughter Rachel.
So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. (Gen. 29:20)
Jacob is so clear in his love for Rachel he is willing to give years of his life. And because of that dedication, those seven years go by in what seems like an instant.
Family businesses offer a similar kind of motivation. You have a chance to work with and for those you love, while simultaneously pursuing your calling and building your legacy. Love for others, commitment, and clarity of purpose leads to life flashing by. C.S. Lewis said “affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.”
Is love a motivating factor for you in your work? If so, is it love for people, the work, or something else that causes time to rush by?
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