Success out of Failure

The call came from my wife Susan, "Mark, we have $3 dollars left, I need to buy food and diapers and I have only one diaper remaining. Our credit cards are maxed out. What are we going to do?" I calmly assured her that everything would be O.K. and that I would take care of it. I hung up the phone placed my head on my desk and wept.

Here we were, living in a large house on an exclusive mountain acreage near Denver. Expensive cars in the garage, all paid for. Just one year previously, we had been very comfortable. I had a medical sales business that was extremely profitable. At the age of 27 my yearly income was in the top 2% in the country. We had been accustomed to 6-8 weeks of vacation per year. I also had various church leadership positions. But, I was bored.

Ever since school days where I went undefeated 7 years straight in wrestling, I've had a finely tuned competitive spirit. In my mind, I had reached the top. I wanted another challenge. One new opportunity looked great and after careful consideration I took it. However, in a matter of days, I was approached about being partner and vice-president of sales for a national company owned by a very visible Christian man. It was enticing. Proverbs says, "A wise man seeks counsel." I sought guidance from my pastor and from two strong and successful Christian business men. They all said, "Go for it." I did.

I received a check the first month for my work and nada, zip, nothing for the next 10 months. I was at the bottom. I called my pastor when I felt like I was at the end of my rope, the one who had counseled me to "go for it." He prayed one of the most meaningful and compassionate prayers I've ever heard. I'll never forget him praying, "Father, if you are trying to get Mark's attention, would you please use a rubber mallet and not a ball peen hammer. And if he has to hit rock bottom to learn what you are trying to teach him, would you please put a rubber mat down so that when he hits bottom it is not quite so painful."

Shortly there after another call came, this one offering me a position in sales that brought me back to fiscal health.

The gain that came out of this harrowing loss? I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. My growth and development went into high gear. My bullet-proof, prideful self-sufficiency was broken. I'm a humbler man. It drew me into a deeper walk with God. I was seeking God when I was extremely successful. However, when all hell is breaking loose, there is a different level of intensity or passion in the quest. God was moving me from a "self-sufficiency" focus to a "God-sufficiency" focus. I have greater empathy for struggling business people, in fact, for anyone who is struggling. The experience helped me see that the value of life is not in chasing a buck and material success. Relationships are most important. I'm a wiser, godlier man because of the experience. I also believe that I have a greater desire to provide a rubber mat upon which my wife, children and friends can fall when they experience life's plunges.
Ephesians 3:20, Living Bible, encapsulates well the experience: Glory be to God who by His mighty power at work within (Mark) is able to do far more than I would ever dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond my highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.

Mark J. Wheeler, M.B.A.