Birthing babies and birthing businesses have a lot in common.

For me, the babies came first. I’ll never forget those magical words, “Congratulations, Mrs. Avery. You have a beautiful baby girl.” The world paused on its axis, the clamor in the operating room froze, and a holy hush descended as my arms drew Bethany Lynelle Avery into my life and heart forever.

I was ready. I’d painted the nursery, hand sown the bunny quilt, and had decorated the room with enough frills and ruffles to outfit the Russian Bolshoi Ballet.

Terror

Flash forward four days to a tiny apartment in a new city, with a traveling husband and an alien-life form that screamed 23 hours out of 24.

How was it even legal that 21-year old couples with no child-rearing experience could just conceive, birth, and drive home with a brand new baby without an instruction manual, tutorial or exchange plan?

I’ll never forget that first night at home and the wide-eyed look of panic my young husband shot me over Bethany’s anxious cries, and the psuedo-confident, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this all under control” return gaze I forcefully returned

Nothing could have been further from the truth. I was in way over my head.

In a fit of feverish rocking, I sent Ron off to bed, leaving the screaming-wonder and me all alone except for God.

And I did the only thing I knew to do.

I wept.

And I prayed. And prayed. And prayed.

Through that first long night and the many sleepless nights that followed, it was just Bethany, God, and me crying, rocking, and talking from dusk to dawn.

Parenting provokes prayer.

More Terror

My business pregnancy was as up and down as my literal one. Days of early anticipation and feverish preparation were interspersed with an anxious stomach and bouts of terror as I wondered whether I was making the biggest mistake of my life.

But when my first batch of thick, shiny business cards came in the mail, I knew I had arrived. The heavens opened, and the angel choirs sang.

I was the owner of own brand-spanking new business.

I was ready. I’d completed coach training school with the framed certificate to prove it. The back of my house sported a gussied up home office, my own personal computer, and a snazzy new website I’d put up on the web.

There was only one small thing I’d overlooked.

I didn’t have any clients.

None.

And worse than that I didn’t know how to get them.

And that was just the beginning, suddenly, with zero business background, I was thrown into the deep end of marketing, bookkeeping, tax-paying, and enough technology challenges to make Steve Jobs cringe.

Being the mature, confident, seasoned believer that I was, I did the only thing I knew to do.

I sat down in my new home office and wept.

And I prayed. And prayed. And prayed.

Entrepreneurship provokes prayer.

When Being Helpless Is Good

Birthday babies and birthing businesses taught me (and continues to teach me) one critical lesson: I am completely and utterly inadequate for this mission.

Strangely, God likes it that way.

Face it, if I only engaged in activities that I already knew how to do, set goals I could easily meet, dreamed dreams no bigger than dinner tonight, and faced situations I’d conquered before, I wouldn’t need God.

Of course, it would be *nice* to have Him alongside providing helpful recommendations, a few kudos, and super-charging my sure success. But I would forget that I needed Him. That I want Him. More than anything

And when I forget how central He is to everything, I tend to live life on my own.

He designed and created you and me for relationship with Him.

And in this business-building adventure, every circumstance, conversation, celebration and point of need is an invitation to draw closer to Him. Lean into Him in a new way. Trust Him and find Him faithful.

When…

• my to-do list is longer than the legal pad that holds it
• my client list is smaller than the bills I need to pay
• my computer decides to update and freeze at the exact time my Webinar is scheduled to go live
• When my identity is stolen and the IRS claims my taxes are unpaid
• When I get fined $600 for illegally posting a picture I can’t prove I’ve purchased
• When I accidentally hit “reply all” to an email and someone sees a response I can’t retrieve
• When I discover (after the fact) that, yes, I led the whole video coaching group with a piece of spinach literally stuck between my two front teeth

In all of these cringe-worthy situations and one thousand more, God cares. He’s with me, and each one is a God-crafted invitation to talk to Him. Tell Him. Listen. Obey. Lean-in. Engage.

The Almighty, star-breathing, breath-taking God of the Universe cares about my business wins and woes, and wants me to consciously share each moment with Him.

And that’s what I want.

A business and a life permeated from top to bottom with Him. And that takes prayer.

Lots of prayer.

Lately, God has been laying on my heart a deep desire to learn more about the place of prayer in my life and in my business. So that I might pray…

• More often
• More systematically
• More effectively
• More powerfully

And most of all, more in community. With other coaches. With other entrepreneurs.

You’re Invited: The Prayer-Saturated Business Project

That’s why I’m starting a free prayer project called The Prayer-Saturated Business, and I’m inviting you to join me.

Each week, I’ll be presenting a bite-sized prayer point, Scriptural promise, and a short prayer starter via video on Facebook Live to help you pray specifically, effectively, and powerfully for your business. (No worries if you can’t attend live, I’m always happy to send you the video replay.)

I’ll also provide a set of free, downloadable Prayer Cards to guide you on your journey.

Click here to can get more information and sign-up.

Let’s saturate our businesses in prayer!

I hope to see you there.