Can bringing faith to work be a secret weapon to success?
Elize Strauss, Bonne Turner, and Merrel Grootboom are all leaders in Tent South Africa. Here they share their inspiring stories on how bringing faith to work has blessed them and others.
Elize Strauss goes first. Here is her story:
“When I gave my life to Jesus, I had no idea that my faith could also lead to success in my business. My faith journey started almost 30 years ago when I had to decide what I wanted to study. Becoming a pastor was not an option. Nor did I want to become a missionary, except if I married one who already was. That was not in my plans at all!
I dreamed of becoming a woman in business but no one I knew could serve as good models. My family did not have the means for me to study. Further, the political climate changed drastically in my matric year and scholarships were no longer easily attained.
My faith in Jesus did however open the doors to the right people at the right time! This set the stage for a life that I have found to be amazing. I ended up studying somatology in my hometown. These studies were practical and cost-effective, and they piqued my interest. I would never have known that I would love it so much. Because I was so passionate about what I was doing, it was easy to give my best and go the extra mile. This put my services in high demand. My passion for beauty very soon turned into what I experiences as an anointment for beauty.
I found that my job became my tool to get to meet women. I could be the one pointing to Jesus with every conversation and when sharing about the trials I went through. I realised telling them what they should or should not do, was not appealing to them at all. Sharing how God got me through the best and the worst of times had a more significant impact.
As I grew in my relationship with God, my dreams became more improbable, and many people thought they were too high to reach. But God showed me that with him nothing is impossible.
Miraculously a door opened for me to become a distributor of professional skin care products. I was shocked when I got the feeling that I should not proclaim my faith openly to everyone I met in this new role. It was difficult for me to keep quiet. I still knew that the way I worked would cause people to ask questions about why I did things in a different way than many others. At the same time, I needed to have good results. If you do not run your business well, people may not want to listen to what you want to share with them.
Because of my desire to serve God through my business, I thought God would bring in one customer after another and that he would share things with me through daily dreams and visions. To be honest, it did not work that way.
I worked very hard within the parameters of what my time allowed me to do. I also made many mistakes. I had to say sorry a lot and try to do better the next day. But the one thing I learned is not to do anything without prayer. I have made many connections by forcing my way through doors rushing the process, which at the end of the day delivered more heartache than wealth. The times I responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, were the times I had success.
Now I am part owner of many businesses and living my dreams. We have our ups and downs, but the reality is that we get through it all by the grace of God. We handle stress differently because we know we are co-partners with God. We take more calculated risks, most of which pay off. If it does not, we get through it.
I think the key is that we work hard. We do what needs to be done when we are at work. We do everything as for the King, which puts us in high demand. When we do our part, God does His. He orchestrates divine connections. He gives us dreams that cannot come true without him. When we are obedient in doing the small stuff, He does the big stuff!
One of these divine appointments was when I met Steinar Opheim, founder of Tent International. He introduced me to the «tentmaking» term and I came to realise I had been a tentmaker since my studies.
Now, I am one of the directors of Tent South Africa. I asked my team to help write this article, and we decided that we want to share the others’ stories with you as well. One of them is Bonne Turner. I met with her because both of us homeschool our children. She came to me because she thought I would connect her with other homeschooling moms. I did not. In fact, it worked the other way around. She introduced me to more homeschooling activities than I did to her. But I introduced her to the concept of tentmaking and reconnected her to her love for God and her passion for her job.”
This is Bonne’s story:
“My journey is unlike many. I did not have a plan nor did I study to boost my skills and enhance my career. Looking back, I do however realize that God always had a plan. Blessed with a curious mind, determination, and a never-give-up attitude, I navigated my way through seemingly impossible career choices. God’s hand was always present, teaching me, so I could teach others.
I was chosen to lead and to take people on a journey where they experience that they are seen, heard, and acknowledged for who they are and what they bring to their role and business. I aim at developing them into the best versions of themselves just by trying to be like Jesus in all my interactions. When it came to learning beyond my capabilities, I felt that God would pour wisdom, knowledge, and peace into me as a vessel, preparing me with all I needed to succeed. And it is in those seemingly impossible moments that I still feel the touch of the Holy Spirit.
The most crucial part of every day in the workplace is however to keep my integrity and not to waver in my beliefs. To be bold, strong, and courageous because He lives in me! I do every task to honour him, and I experience the supernatural blessing that comes through faith and hard work.
When Covid19 closed South Africa, we all panicked. I led over 150 staff members, and we were part of a larger company of 14 underlying businesses.
For the first week, the mindset was that Big Brother would keep us safe and protect us. And then it happened: short pay, no work, no pay, work from home with no data, businesses closing down, and retrenchments. PANIC. As a Managing Director, my cellphone rang late into the night, with staff asking me to help them with data or money, and if their jobs were secure.
My management team was falling apart. The responsibility of keeping everyone safe and motivated fell on me and two other die-hards with big hearts. I had never felt so powerless, or so helpless.
During one evening of total uncertainty in my own leadership, I decided to broadcast a prayer to all my staff. I sent a WhatsApp message to an entire ensemble of South African cultures. This was a heartfelt message to trust me because I trust my God to lead us through this situation and that He would provide.
He did!
We managed to navigate through it all. We were the only company within the group that managed to avoid retrenchments, remain financially sound, and grow in an economy that was suffering. God blessed us for our unfailing commitment. We managed to financially support other companies within our group, minimizing hardships. During it all, I still had my own personal demons to fight, and I was going through a separation that led to a divorce. 2020 was a year of testing my faith beyond my comfort! I got a real-life experience that “I can do everything through Christ, who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NLT”
Needless to say, Bonne is now a co-director at Tent South Africa!
Merrel Grootboom is a social worker that took early retirement to start her dream of having her own business. Now, she holds art workshops to help women deal with trauma and reconnect with their God-given purpose. What Merrel learned as a social worker, she carries with her into every one of her workshops. The connections she made through her work still open doors to people that will never set foot in a church.
This is how Merrel carried her faith at work:
“I have found that my faith gives me a world and life view that shapes the character of my work. I needed my faith to avoid becoming overwhelmed by my workspace.
We work to benefit financially, affect change, and help others by bringing Jesus into our workspaces. As the Bible says, “People must see our good works and worship God”.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 states “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I have found that there are specific actions at work that glorify Christ:
1) Love people without judgement.
2) Integrity - Be punctual and do not steal your employer's time by lounging around and being lazy. Do what you say you will do. Your word is your honour.
3) Communication - Always be ready to show the love of the Lord, even in the absence of words.
4) Be the change that you want to see by changing the atmosphere you work in.
We are quick to want to leave a hostile atmosphere, but as you consume the Word of God, you are transformed by it and become hopeful for a better outcome. This positivity influences everyone around you.
When you intentionally build relationships, you perform better in a team and get better results. Your title will not force your team to work as a unit. Only the relationships you foster create loyalty.
The scripture that carried me through this was Proverbs 3:3-5:
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
All three of our stories testify that our faith in Jesus Christ is the secret to our success in our places of work. When we do everything to the glory of God, we are the person whom God uses to change the atmosphere. God gives us good strategies to prosper our businesses and the place where we work. He gives us the wisdom and strength to accomplish our tasks and deliver results. We are always His co-labourers in our places of work!