I’ve read the Book of Job more times than I can count. Not just because it’s part of my faith, but because it has something real to say about struggle. It doesn’t sugarcoat pain. It doesn’t offer easy answers. It sits in the mess, in the questions, in the long waiting. And over the years, I’ve come to believe that there’s a lot in Job that applies to business too, especially if you’ve ever been through a season where everything that could go wrong, did.

No miracles happen without the mess. That’s the lesson. And I’ve lived it.

The Seasons No One Prepares You For

When people talk about starting a business, they talk about vision, passion, goals, and growth. They don’t talk as much about fear. Or doubt. Or watching something you built start to crack under pressure. But it happens. In fact, if you’ve been in business long enough, I’d say it’s guaranteed to happen at some point.

For me, there was a stretch where nothing seemed to go right. Jobs stalled. Equipment failed. Cash flow tightened. We lost a few key team members in a short span. I found myself lying awake at night wondering if the foundation we’d built was strong enough to survive the storm.

It’s during those moments that the story of Job hits differently. Because Job didn’t just lose his possessions, he lost everything. His wealth, his health, his family, his peace of mind. And still, he didn’t curse the process. He asked questions. He wrestled with his circumstances. But he didn’t give up.

That’s what spoke to me. Not the happy ending at the end of the story, but the way he stayed in it when everything told him to quit.

Struggle Doesn’t Mean You’re Failing

One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that if we’re struggling, we must be doing something wrong. That if business isn’t booming, we must’ve lost our way. But the truth is, growth usually looks messy in real time. So does faith. So does leadership.

The Book of Job reminds us that struggle can be part of the plan. Not in a neat, predictable way, but in a refining way. In a “you’ll be different after this” kind of way.

Some of the best decisions I’ve made as a leader came out of tough seasons. The kind where I had no choice but to reevaluate everything. The kind where I had to ask for help, or slow down, or rebuild something from the ground up. I didn’t enjoy those moments. But I respect them. Because they taught me things that success never could.

Trusting the Process You Can’t See

Job never got a blueprint. He never saw the full picture. He had to sit in the silence and trust that there was still meaning in the mess. That’s what faith looks like, not having the answers, but moving forward anyway.

Business works like that too. Sometimes you don’t know if the investment will pay off. You don’t know if the new hire will work out. You don’t know if you’re about to turn a corner or hit another wall. And you don’t get to know ahead of time.

But you still have to keep showing up. Keep making the next right decision. Keep holding the line on your values. Not because it guarantees success, but because it’s who you are.

At Paving Arts, we’ve had to make tough calls. We’ve said no to jobs that didn’t align with our mission. We’ve chosen quality over speed, even when it cost us in the short term. And we’ve had seasons where we just had to hold steady and trust that the work we were doing would eventually bear fruit.

The Miracle of the Long Haul

Job’s story does end in restoration. But what people miss is that it didn’t happen overnight. There was no magic moment where everything snapped back into place. The turnaround was gradual. Earned. Rooted in faith and perseverance.

That’s the kind of miracle I believe in, the slow, steady kind. The kind that comes after showing up day after day, even when it’s hard. The kind that comes from doing business with integrity, even when no one notices. The kind that comes from building something that lasts.

In construction, you don’t get instant results. You prepare the ground. You lay the foundation. You do the work. And eventually, something solid takes shape. That’s how I see business too. And faith. And life.

A Better Way to Lead

The Book of Job taught me that it’s okay to question. It’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to not have everything figured out. What matters is how you carry yourself in those moments.

Are you still treating people well? Are you still leading with honesty? Are you still protecting your team and your values, even when it’s hard?

Those are the questions I ask myself. And those are the values I hope define me—not just in the good times, but in the ones that test everything.

Why the Struggle Is Part of the Story

There’s no shame in the mess. In fact, the mess might be where the next chapter begins. If you’re in one of those seasons, where the future feels uncertain and the pressure is real, don’t rush through it. Don’t try to skip past the discomfort.

Sit with it. Learn from it. Let it shape you.

Because the miracles don’t come in spite of the mess. They come through it.