Work

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

When we started Spinnaker Insurance Company ten years ago, I did not anticipate how it would help my spiritual journey.  First, there was no way to get started without my father.  Not only did he invest his own time, talent and treasure, but his mere presence, because of who he is, pulled in key contributors that I would never have gotten on my own.  All our conversations went essentially like this:  “If you’re in it, I’m in, Paul.  Just tell me what I’m investing in.”  Actually, before the first is the decision to say yes, I want to do this.  The opportunity is there, waiting for me, but I was only vaguely aware of it from a conversation I’d had ten years before.  Saying yes is not work.  It is the beginning, the baptism, if you will.  Everything else that comes after is.

Second, my blood, sweat and tears and that of my brother and friends, the work we did was essential to the success of the endeavor.  We set up the company so that we were all equal and so that we all would succeed together or fail together.  I will take credit for that design because I did not anticipate how difficult things would get and it was crucial that, despite our differences, we knew we could count on one another to do what was right for the team, the company and our investors.  Without our efforts, we would not have succeeded.

And third, by my math, our efforts added up to about 2% of the reason for our success.  But it is an essential 2%.  A quick illustration: in our second full year, three major hurricanes hit.  Everything we wrote was exposed to potential hurricane losses.  Our biggest account had its biggest concentration in coastal Texas, where Hurricane Harvey hit as a category 4 hurricane.  We insured an apartment building on the water’s edge in Corpus Christi (literally, “the Body of Christ”) in the exact place Harvey made landfall.  My brother called the apartment building directly the day after it hit and they were there!  They had not had any real damage from the storm!  And although Harvey ended up causing insured losses of nearly $20 Billion and economic damages many times that, we had almost no losses.  I cannot explain this in any way shape or form except to thank God.  These and many other amazing results were completely beyond our plan, control or execution.  

I believe this is an illustration of how our salvation works.  First, God our Father put us here in our family, in this location, with these abilities and gifts.  Then He calls us.  Will we say yes?  Will we not just hear, but be moved by the saving grace of Jesus, the sheer power and majesty and awe of his sacrifice for us on the Cross? Will we react with gratitude that is measurable in actions, in thought, word and deed?  As Jesus said, “by their fruit you will know them.”

I am blessed with a church, friends and family to keep me on the narrow path if I listen to them.  Peter was able to walk on water only when he fixed his eyes on Jesus.  When he considered what he was doing, he started to sink.  But he called out, “Jesus, save me!”  And Jesus took him by the hand.  Jesus scolded Peter saying, “Oh ye of little faith!” But I like to imagine Jesus was smiling when he said that, as Peter was the only one who stepped out of the boat.