Could You Be an Underdog Entrepreneur?

Sir, sir, help me please.

My husband died, leaving me and my two sons in debt.

The creditors are now coming to take my sons and make them become slaves.

That was a widowed woman’s scream in the Book of Kings.

However, the Bible indicates that, despite being a candidate for welfare and handouts, this woman did not receive either.

This mother was in a severe emotional state and was going to lose her sons, but the prophet advised her to use her entrepreneurial grace.

She was an underdog entrepreneur who had no idea what she was capable of.

However, the prophet is believed to have asked her what she had in her home, and she replied that she had nothing but a small jar of olive oil.

But this was not the case. She was unaware of her abundance, and her thoughts were more focused on seeking external assistance than on finding ways to help herself.

But the prophet didn’t give her any money, didn’t tell her to look for work, and didn’t tell her to apply for social aid.

Instead, he advised her to establish a business with what little resources she had.

He instructed her to beg empty jars from her neighbours, bring them home, and close the door.  When she returned home with her sons, she continued to pour the olive oil she had into the jars until there were none left.

According to the Bible “Bring me another one,” she urged to her son when all the jars were full.

“There isn’t a jar left,” he said. The oil then stopped flowing.

She went to the prophet and told him what had happened, and he urged her to sell the oil, pay the guys who wanted to take her sons as slaves, and then live on the balance of the money.

What can we all learn from this story?

1. A shift in perspective from feeling sorry for ourselves to being courageous enough to confront our issues

After my father passed away, I yearned for a moment of pity from the world. But I soon learned that only 20% of the individuals I confided in actually cared that I was suffering, and that the other 80% didn’t give a damn about my tears and anguish.

It was a rude awakening to the reality that everyone faces difficulties in life and that my own problems were not unique. So, I had to pull myself out of my pit of self-pity and into the light of day that was my future.

I can’t possibly know the difficulties you’re facing at this very moment, but I can assure you that you were prepared for them long before they arose.

Pay attention to the inner voice (the Holy Spirit), and you’ll emerge through adversity on the other side, stronger and happier for it.

2. Faith without works is dead.

The woman in the story believed in God’s ability to multiply her little resources.

Instead of ignoring the advice of the man of God, she had faith in God’s capacity to improve her and her children’s circumstances.

She then proceeded to gather an abundance of jars and began pouring into them. God rewarded her for her efforts.

Many of us anticipate that manna will rain from heaven and that our circumstances will improve, but we hesitate to do the acts that would bring about our miracles.

Life has presented me with numerous obstacles, and I have not always trusted the process. When I hesitated, my progress was little at best.

However, as I placed my trust in God’s continuous support, I realised that faith was the only component I required to reach my truest potential.

Perhaps you have always wanted to execute a business idea that God put in your heart, but fear has held you back and robbed you of your greatness. Now is the time to act in faith and refuse to by led by fear.

3. Progressing in Silence

He encouraged her to close the door behind her and work on her new company concept quietly. And she will only emerge with her jars of oil ready to sell.

You don’t have to tell everyone about your new business idea; the dream assassins around you might convince you to abandon it.

Most people get their strength and sense of self-worth from likes, comments, and shares in this day and age.

People talk about everything, from the checks they’ve gotten to the last time they went to the bathroom.

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your achievements and successes, but be careful about what you share and with whom.

My mom always tells me that if my enemies don’t know what I’m doing, they won’t know where to attack me.

4. The ability to generate our own resources without relying on government assistance or handouts.

Even though this woman was a perfect candidate for charity, she was also ready to roll up her sleeves and put on her boots to get herself and her boys out of the mess her husband left her in.

She already had olive oil at home, so all she had to do was get creative.

She had to change her image and become a businesswoman to sell what she already had.

Everyone should try to get better at being resourceful. Using what we have to get what we want is really the key.

We all have something we can use to improve ourselves and make our community and the world a better place.

Some people have ovens in their houses that they only use for special occasions since they don’t have the money to replace them.

A young woman in my free WhatsApp coaching group recently sent me a recommendation. She used what she had to go from living on charity to living on her own.

5. Manage your money wisely.

After the widow had finished the back-end work of filling the olive oil containers, he told her to sell them and use the money to live on.

Most of the time, when we have money, we want to spend it on things that don’t make sense. We forget that the money we have now needs to be used wisely so that we don’t run out of resources while we’re still alive.
Some of the money you earn can be used to:

• Pay for a course and learn new skills to make yourself more valuable.
• Put your money into stocks.
• Start a second business (es)
• Pay for health insurance and life insurance, and put money into your pension fund.

You have everything you need in your life to live the life God planned for you.

What kind of life you live depends on how you use the resources you have!