You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Even when you don’t know, what you don’t know, God fills in all the gaps.
I didn’t know that in 2010, when I served as President of the Catoosa Chamber of Commerce that it would give me the chance to meet a spa owner at her grand opening.
Ron and I, as entrepreneurs, were enduring one of the darkest economic times in U.S. history and I had no idea that the simple act of attending a business grand opening on behalf of the Chamber was the beginning of something remarkable.
I didn’t know that while our world was profoundly difficult, that choosing to celebrate with an entrepreneur on her happiest day would ultimately end up a part of my life story.
I didn’t know that we would cultivate a friendship based on similar business struggles, celebrations and an intertwined business journey.
Nor did I know that a random lunch on May 19th, 2014 would be the beginning of an even deeper connection that would morph into a Business Bestie friendship or that we would meet at least once a month from that point forward.
God knew all the things!
He knew in 2010, when I met Edie Tolbert, that in the ten years following, we would need one another. Neither of us saw a need to do anything other than allow the friendship to organically happen.
But God knew as entrepreneurs, we’d separately survive similar difficult entrepreneurial and spiritual situations only to turn around a week, month or years later to hold the other up while they walked it out too.
It’s like walking through a muddy bog, getting through and turning around to take the hand of the next person to pull them out because it was just too much for them. We over and over took turns being the first to walk through that muddy bog so we could turn around and pull the other out.
In case you’re wondering what this looks like…….
- It’s being there to simply listen, when an ear is needed and there are no answers.
- Knowing that deep feeling of hurt because something went wrong in their business.
- Listening intently as she describes something she triumphed over because it’s EXACTLY what you’re going through right now and you need to hear that she made it.
- It’s knowing exactly who to call when there’s something to celebrate that NO ONE else could possibly understand.
- It’s holding one another accountable on the HARD things.
- It’s getting together quarterly for a whole day to review the previous quarter and plan the next.
- It’s calling just to get a kick in the butt to get going when you have lost your way.
- It’s over and over talking about trusting and waiting on God’s plan and walking it out together.
- It’s doing our Bible studies at the same time in the mornings and sending one another pictures of what we’re studying only to find what the other is studying applies exactly to our own struggles.
- It’s being interwoven so closely that God speaks to you concerning them and you GET to be the one to share God’s solution.
I didn’t know what I didn’t know, but God sure knew….. that all these years later…. I would need an entrepreneurial friend, a Business Bestie.
Edie Tolbert,
You are a one in a million and I am so glad God made sure we met.
While we’re all setting goals, choosing words for the year and getting organized, no matter where you are in your business, my prayer for you today is that God brings you an “Edie”. A person who can share your entrepreneurial life … but even more than that, your entrepreneurial Christian life. I pray He brings you a Business Bestie because you don’t know what you don’t know.
Humbly Yours,
Jennifer Edwards
“Edie’s Business Bestie”