My younger son has a part-time job as a movie critic. It amazes me how one could get such a gig, where you can sit down for two hours in a theater with a big bucket of popcorn, write about the show, and get paid. Because he often sees movies before they are out, he can tell me what is good or bad when the show is released. Because of that, we often don’t go to the movies together.
Last weekend, when all of the women in our family were on a trip, and my oldest is away at college, Josh and I found some time to see a show that he did not have to review which allowed us to spend some rare “movie theater time” together. We chose to see the film “Little Boy”.
The movie is set in the early 1940s at the time of World War II in a small town in California. It focuses on a family and especially the relationship between a father and a young boy who had his dad as his best friend. The dad is drafted into the war and the boy is heartbroken. The lad is determined he will do whatever he has to do to bring his father home safely, which involves believing and acting out on that faith with the guidance of a local priest. It is a heartwarming and heroic story that I recommend.
I bring up the story in this blog, because it struck me how much of a role that faith plays in building a company, a credit union, or even a life. Look at your business clients who started from nothing. Consider the small, local credit union that grows to be the biggest financial institution in the area. Think about every important relationship that you have, whether it be with God, family members, friends, or business clients. What is a common denominator among all of these? They all require faith.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith “is substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen”. You may know of people who have ancestors who came to America with a few dollars in their pocket, clothes on their back, and the belief they can make a successful life in this country. You have also heard of successful businesses that have started out with smart people, a dream, and faith. In each case, despite overwhelming odds, these folks saw something that did not exist—a successful company, a growing community, or a profitable ranch—to name a few. These items did not exist, but they could clearly see them with their eyes of faith.
This issue hits home with me. Every day, I see our company as it will be and not as it is. I then have to see where we are presently. The path between the two requires faith to clearly see. This faith is the starting place to turn dreams into attainable goals and steps where everyone can see what you already know.
This principle applies to whatever you are doing in life or relationships. The important thing here to remember are words that my Aunt Lil used to say, “Both the person who thinks he can’t and the fellow who thinks he can, are both right. Which one will you be?”