Nothing You’ve Done in Obedience Was Wasted: Faith, Entrepreneurship, and Purpose
The Room That Changed Everything: Why Obedience Always Makes Sense Later
By Marina Simone,
Yesterday, I stood in front of the most important audience I will ever speak to.
Not a stage.
Not a ballroom.
Not a crowd of thousands.
A classroom.
Less than twenty students.
And my daughter sitting right there.
And something in me shifted in a way I can’t fully put into words, but I’m going to try.
As I stood there, I was pulled back into a memory I haven’t thought about in years.
Fifteen years ago, I had my daughter on my hip. She was one. I drove three hours to present my network marketing business with a whiteboard. I drew circles for one guest and three distributors.
One guest.
I remember sitting in my car afterward thinking,
Why would I drive three hours for one person?
Am I delusional?
Is this ever going to amount to anything?
I didn’t know it then, but God was training me.
🔥 From Whiteboards to a Classroom Full of Purpose
Last week, my daughter’s teacher texted me and asked if I would come speak to her class about entrepreneurship, sales, and Christ.
I was honored.
And if I’m being honest, I was terrified.
Terrified I would bore them.
Terrified I wouldn’t connect.
Terrified my words wouldn’t matter.
But God.
The opposite happened.
They leaned in.
They asked thoughtful, brave questions.
They wanted to know how faith and business could coexist.
They shared that they feel different.
They asked how they would even know where to start.
Standing there, answering them, I felt something settle in my body, not just my head.
This is what the last fifteen years have been preparing me for.
I’ve spoken on stages with tens of thousands of people. And I have never felt as full as I did walking out of that classroom.
Not because of applause.
Not because of recognition.
But because of purpose.
God gets all the glory.
⚡ What I Taught Them (And What I Wish Someone Had Taught Me)
When I opened the talk, I didn’t start with money or business models. I started with belonging.
I asked them if they’d ever felt like they didn’t fit in.
If they’d ever worried they were behind.
If they’d ever felt pressure to have their whole future figured out.
Every hand went up.
And I told them the truth I wish someone had told me:
Not fitting in doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It often means you’re wired differently.
And different doesn’t mean less.
Different usually means called.
We talked about entrepreneurship not as pressure, but as possibility. About how entrepreneurs aren’t “born smart” or rich or loud. They’re problem solvers. They learn by trying. They fail forward. They start with what they have. And at the core, they serve people.
We reframed sales too. Because sales gets such a bad reputation, especially in faith-based spaces.
Sales is not manipulation.
Sales is communication, empathy, and courage.
Sales is explaining value and helping people make good decisions.
If you can master communication, you can master life.
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Faith, Identity, and the Kind of Success That Lasts
One of the most powerful moments came when we talked about Jesus, not as a distant figure, but as the greatest example of leadership and entrepreneurship.
Jesus didn’t choose celebrities or scholars. He chose fishermen. Tax collectors. Ordinary people.
No money.
No platform.
No title.
Yet they changed the world.
Why?
Because Jesus built people before He built impact.
We talked about fear, doubt, and insecurity. About how feelings are information, not instructions. About how courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s choosing growth anyway.
And we talked about identity. That you don’t have to become hard to succeed. That faith and ambition can live together. That you can be confident and kind, strong and Christ-centered.
Technology will change. Careers will change. AI will change everything.
But character will always matter.
The Moment That Undid Me
When it was over, when the questions were done and the room settled, my daughter looked at me with pride in her eyes.
And that was it for me.
That was the moment that undid me.
Because I realized something I wish every person in a quiet season could hear:
Nothing you’ve done in obedience has been wasted.
Those small rooms.
Those long drives.
Those moments where you showed up when it didn’t make sense.
They weren’t failures.
They were formation.
Sometimes the success we’re chasing isn’t money. It’s impact.
Sometimes God isn’t building your platform. He’s building you.
And sometimes the most important people watching your obedience aren’t the masses, they’re the ones closest to your heart.
If You’re In the Quiet Season, Read This Slowly
If you’re wondering why you’re still going.
If you’re questioning why it hasn’t happened yet.
If you feel called but unseen.
Keep going anyway.
Not because it’s easy.
But because it’s holy.
One day, you’ll stand in a room you never saw coming and realize,
Oh.
This is why.
With so much love and gratitude,
Marina 💗🙏🏼
