— by Peter Demos

Sometimes the journey of faith is more important than the actual on-going success of a business. 

God pursued me for many years as a businessman, but it wasn’t until a radical encounter with Jesus that I finally surrendered my life and plans over to Him. Once I did, everything in my life changed, including my hopes and dreams.

I became a Christian right about the time we were in the beginning planning stages of Peter D’s, my restaurant namesake. It was going to be perfect. I would do all I could to employ the right people in the right position. I would search out the right decor and spend the money to get it. I had already begun planning with men who were experts in the industry. Together we would set up a restaurant that could not fail. 

Not only did I have a perfect plan, but because I was now a follower of Christ, it seemed like nothing could go wrong. Life was perfect. Even when little problems cropped up, it was like the Holy Spirit was right there, assuring me that all was well. He had my back. 

But there was one element that had snuck into my plans, that no business book addresses that would prove to be my downfall—pride. 

Just four years later, Peter D’s was limping along when we received a call from another restaurant company asking if we would be interested in leasing our building. My first instinct was to respond with a solid “no.” We had worked so hard, and things were slowly starting to look up. But never in all my years in the restaurant business had anyone called with a request like this. It was so out of the blue, I knew it was important we talk to God about it and see if this offer was part of His plan. 

I sought guidance from a number of people in my life including my wife Kristin, my executive team, my pastor and Trent, the chair of my C12 Christian business owners’ group. 

Trent, in a matter-of-fact sort of way, reminded me, “You can’t thwart God’s plans. If He wants it to happen, it’s going to happen one way or another. If He doesn’t want this deal to go through, He will stop it.” 

“Okay...” I reluctantly agreed, “I guess we’ll wait on God and see what He does with this.” 

And that is exactly what we did. We waited. And waited. The company made several visits to the building, often with only a few minutes notice. I would give them a tour and answer their countless questions. They would promise to get back to me, and I would wait some more. 

It can be very frustrating to wait on God’s timing, and this was no different. The old Peter would have called them to push things through, but I knew that ultimately, I wanted to know God’s will and that meant letting Him work and not interfering in the process. 

I was at a soccer game with my son when the stress of waiting got to be too much for me. I had a responsibility to keep things running smoothly if we didn’t end up leasing out the building. I climbed to the top of the stands to make my call. It was a very cold Spring day, the wind was strong, and it was hard to hear, but I did catch these words clearly: “We actually have another building in Murfreesboro that we’re interested in. That’s what has been holding us up. Can you give us to the last week in March to let you know one way or the other?” 

It wasn’t the definitive answer I was hoping to hear. I thought of all the ways I could convince them to choose our building instead of the other, a surprising reaction considering how upsetting the idea had been to me in the beginning. I was actually kind of disappointed. 

“You can’t thwart God’s plans.” Trent’s words came back to me. 

So, unlike me, I did precisely what I needed to do. I waited. Time passed, the deadline passed, and I realized that the deal was not going to happen. 

A few days later, I pulled out of Peter D’s onto Medical Center Parkway, a major road that runs through Murfreesboro, heading for the office. 

Like King David in many of his Psalms, I felt helplessness and hope battle in my heart. I wasn’t even sure how to pray about it anymore. With all the lessons I have learned, I knew in my mind that God had this. He was going to turn Peter D’s around, or the deal would have gone through. My heart felt heavy at my inability to see His answer, but I knew it was there. 

I arrived at the office a few minutes later to God’s surprising answer. 

“Peter!” my controller greeted me. “We had a call from David at McAllister’s Deli, while you were out. He was asking to lease the building!” 

“McAllister’s?” I was flabbergasted. 

In fact, I burst out laughing. Never, in all my years in the restaurant business, had I received a request to lease a building, and now we had received a second request in only three months? 

“Yes, David at McAllister’s. He asked if you could call him back,” she confirmed. 

When I called David back, it became clear that God was continuing to lead us in this direction. 

“I don’t know why,” he explained, “but I just felt I needed to call and ask if there was at least a possibility.” 

“I’m not going to say no, but isn’t our building a little too big for your needs?” Our restaurant was about twice the size of McAllister’s current place. 

“Oh, I can go big. I’m not worried about that; and the truth is, every time I drive by your building, I just get the feeling that I need to ask.” 

Within one week, we worked out the initial terms, quickly signed a lease agreement, and by the end of the month, Peter D’s would close. 

I’ve noticed, that as God continues to ask me to put things into His hands, I start out with faith and confidence that He will work things out for the best. But it never seems to happen quickly enough for me. Inevitably, I grow impatient and disappointment creeps in, and it is only then that God shows up and does what He was going to do. 

The extra months lost during the negotiations with the first company gave us time to develop PDK Southern Kitchen and Pantry—a fresh idea, taking many items from our menu developed for Peter D’s and recreating them for a fast, takeaway style restaurant. Many of the menu items and equipment from Peter D’s could be put into PDK, making sure it fit this time and reducing the start-up costs. 

All the battles and frustrations we’d experienced with Peter D’s, we could role play and fix at PDK. 

There were problems with Peter D’s I just couldn’t fix, and I can praise God for that. During a recent conversation with our pastor, he asked me what I learned through this experience, and my answer is quite simple. Through the journey with Peter D’s, God freed from my pride. 

In the four years it was open, if it had become a raving success, I would have taken credit. I would have been proud that I had struggled through and made it better than anyone had predicted. If it failed in six months, I would not have learned to lean on Him with endurance. God’s taking that pride away has helped me see that I can’t thwart His plans. The things that God wants to accomplish in my life, He will accomplish. 

It reminds me of the story of Esther, when Mordecai tells the new queen, if it isn’t you, it will be someone else. But what will happen to you if you don’t follow the will of God? 

I risk missing out on so much blessing if I fail to follow God’s leading. 

This article is adapted from Afraid to Trust: One Man’s Journey Into the Love of God by Peter Demos. For more information, visit afraidtotrust.com.

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