Ambitious

Yesterday we had a very ambitious driver.  He told me his plans to open a group home (15 residents, and $13,000 net profit a month - or so he thinks) and eventually move onto a business empire, including hotels. 

I don't know about you, but hotels seem to be a pretty thankless and difficult way of making money.  You have to hustle, you have to have dozens of very dedicated employees, a large amount of operating capital, connections, you have to have excellent maintainence men... you get the idea. 

He was clearly talking about a hotel, not my favorite $40 a night motel-on-the-Seawall. 

We had a lot of trips today, supposed to be our day off.  Laugh with me for a second.  Yeah, "Day Off".  Good laugh; not when you're self-employed. 

It may seem odd for me, working on my day off, to rant about ambition, but it's my blog.  We had to go to work to put in our Dr Pepper order; we had to get some muffins for work.  The trip to Walmart was "ours" because we were out of groceries. 

Ron is slow coming out of the house.  I remind him and remind him, and he is never ready when the ride pulls up.  When he is, it freaks me out. 

We waited for a minute and the driver pulled out his cell phone, making a phone call.  Apparently he is planning to open up a sheltered workshop.  From what I have seen, the "programs" in Houston would more accurately be termed "adult daycare".  The participants can play on a computer, chat, whatever.

Ron, in his teens, worked in a broom factory operated by the Lighthouse for the Blind.  He said it was very dangerous; one day he heard terrible screams as a man lost a thumb. 

Now, our program is state/federal.  We can't operate without their help and they don't have a program without our participation, but the Blind Vendor Program gives us gainful employment and the freedom to run our own business. 

Anyway, the second driver was making big plans to operate his own day program for the developmentally disabled.  Very ambitious, hustling. 

Ron and I were pretty disgusted.  It's hard not to feel like both drivers are exploiting people with developmental delays; especially the first guy.  How are you going to pack 15 residents into a typical house?  In fact, the guy actually investigated the purchase of a house in our neighborhood, only to be told the deed restrictions forbade it. 

I love you, deed restrictions. 

Ron asked driver 1 when he'd like God to come back, which is a great question.  When would you?  If you're saved, so's your family, any minute. 

Not this guy.  He wants to do something "meaningful" with his life.  I asked him what that meant; it equates to empire building, getting status, and making a lot of money.  I reminded him he is helping people with disabilities to live independent lives, but that wasn't good enough for him.  He was ambitious.

Ron and I asked ourselves how ambition would matter in eternity.  We only take our actions with us; and some of them will be burned up.  1 Corinthians Chapter 3  I know some of mine will; because I did them out of the wrong motivation. 

Honestly above all else. 

We decided (Ron and I) that the men were using ambition and the desire for money and status, to fill the God-sized hole inside of them.  We agreed we didn't need much if we had God.

We will do whatever possible to prosper our business and make our customers happy.  I left fully stocked vending machines waiting for hungry customers.  The glass fronts are clean and everyone looked great. 

I don't have to be an ascetic to be holy; to live a rightous life, as much as possible; to repent when I sin, to enjoy the life I've been given. 

I don't have to be ambitious, either.