Recently, a friend and business client, Nathan A. Stuck, MBA, told me something that was both incredibly humbling and deeply touching. He said that to people who don’t know me, my actions might make them wonder at first what I’m looking for out of them, but the always assures them it’s just because I’m a genuinely nice person.
His words caught me at a moment when I was preparing a youth Bible study this weekend on the theme of “renewal.” We’re talking about the universal struggles of shame, burnout, and feeling like change is impossible – all feelings I’ve grappled with. But in his simple observation, I saw the lesson of renewal coming to life. He wasn’t just describing my personality; he was giving me a glimpse of the change God has been working on in my heart.
Over the past five or six years, I’ve committed to a more intentional journey of faith, spending more time reading and studying the Bible to understand who God is and how I can strive to be more like who Jesus taught his disciples to be. It’s a challenging path, especially in the world of business, where a transactional and scarcity mindset can easily dominate. These years of building a business haven’t been easy with all my personal and professional responsibilities, but they’ve been incredibly fulfilling. They’ve taught me what true devotion to God and trust in His mercy can do.
Today, I’m preparing my youth Bible study built around three key scriptures that have become touchstones for me. From the prophet Jeremiah, we learn that God’s mercies are “new every morning,” a profound reminder that we can approach each day with a clean slate. The prophet Isaiah challenges us to “forget the former things,” and to see that God is constantly “doing a new thing” even in the most difficult situations. And the Apostle Paul, writing to Christians in a worldly city in Romans, urges us not to be conformed to the world, but to be “transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
That’s the core of it. We are not defined by past mistakes. Transformation isn’t about grand gestures or pretending to be perfect. It’s a quiet, ongoing process of letting God’s grace reshape your heart and mind. As this happens, your relationships – in business, with family, or with friends – are no longer just transactional. They become reflections of a deeper change within, a change that can be seen by others. A change that mirrors the image of God, allowing us to glorify Him and delight in the joy of human connection and His constant mercies.
Nathan’s words to me were a humbling gift. It showed me that perhaps, just perhaps, the work of renewal is more visible than I often give it credit for.
I also hope that being nice can be normalized in business; not mistaken for an ulterior motive.
