Adversity in a Christ Centered Culture
— by Joe Crawford
2020 was an unprecedented year with far reaching effects into many areas of our lives. Direct health impacts, financial setbacks, polarizing emotions, and uncertainty all made their way into our personal and professional lives. Abilene and Lubbock Aero were no exception. We learned some valuable lessons, experienced spiritual growth, and are excited about the future. Anytime our company experiences adversity, I like to reflect on our lessons learned and seek the knowledge revealed through hardship. As Solomon said in Proverbs 18:15, “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
The purpose of engaging an honest examination of how our company responded to the trials of 2020 is simple: We want to honor Christ by being a resilient and steadfast company, advocating for our employees and customers, while advancing Kingdom principles. We know from James 1:3 that “testing produces steadfastness,” and I believe a Christ-centered company should be buoyant on strong seas.
Lesson #1 - Honor your employees and customer base; meet them where they are, not where you think they should be.
As George W. Bush said in his speech memorializing the five Dallas police officers gunned down in 2016, “Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions.” The politicization of COVID-19 made visible a flurry of opinions on everything from vaccines and masks to public gatherings and social distancing. All this during a time of a very divisive presidential election made some spirited debates in our industry. Diverse opinions seemed to assault the senses. This climate made it easy to judge others, and in many cases, to verbalize that judgement in the form of disrespectful speech. The question is, how do we as believers and leaders foster a godly environment of honoring all people, when no one seems to agree on anything?
I believe the answer is overtly simple, yet difficult to implement. We must recognize that we are not responsible for changing the minds of others. We are not called to be the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit for other people. We are called to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves, in that order. These are not “results-based” commandments. They are intended for the sender, not the receiver. The receiver’s thoughts and behavior are his or her responsibility, not the sender. It is our individual charge to cultivate the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control….” These are produced through presence of the Holy Spirit in our own lives.
If we as believers respond to a differing opinion—even if it opposes Scripture—with anger, harshness, and uncontrolled tongues, that behavior is revelatory, not justified. We as Christ-centered leaders must assume responsibility for our own thoughts and behaviors before we can cultivate a God-honoring environment. General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s famous quote on leadership sums this point well: “Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.” We must control our own thoughts, emotions, and speech before expecting others to do so.
Lesson #2 - Declare your identity, and stick to it.
At no time in our company’s history were our guiding principles more valuable. These items are present on the walls of every room in our facilities. They are the lens through which we see customer and employee interactions. We implemented these principles years ago and constantly reinforce them in staff meetings, in department meetings, and during corrective actions. We want our company to be built on the Rock, not the sand (Matthew 7:25-26). These principles have guided us through trials in the past and will continue to do so. The guiding principles and their scriptural foundations of Abilene and Lubbock Aero are:
Quality, honesty, and integrity will never be compromised.
Luke 6:31 – And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Each customer has unique needs and problems. Our only purpose is meeting their needs and solving their problems.
Ephesians 6:7-8 – Render service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord.
We always keep our commitments.
Numbers 30:2 – If a man vows a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
We cannot allow adverse circumstances to change our identities or alter our declarations. For Abilene and Lubbock Aero, our guiding principles do not change. We expect our employees to align their responses with these principles. We do not allow anyone to adjust the principles to meet circumstances. These principles provide the foundational strategies for employee and leadership decision making. Put another way, our company will not be defined by circumstances, but by the Word, which is alive, constant, and infallible.
Pay attention to how you, your business, and your employees respond to challenges. Those responses can reveal flaws that must be addressed. They can also reveal strengths worth recognizing and celebrating. We are facing interesting times in the coming months. I have been in the business world my entire adult life, and I cannot think of a time where our Christian values and businesses have faced such trials. But we are not without hope.
We, as believers and business leaders, must never lose sight of Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
This Scripture provides a road map to good leadership. The circumstances and desires of the world cannot be the lens through which we chart the course. We are called to lead from a place of transformation by renewal, which enables us to test the road and to discern God’s way forward.
Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of White Papers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s Global Event.
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