When You Feel Completely Out of Options, This Simple Habit Will Save You
Have you ever sat back, looked at where you are today, and wondered how all the crazy, messy pieces of your life actually fit together?
For Brian McMaster, the owner of a successful third-party logistics company, the blueprint for his life didn’t come from a fancy college textbook. It was written on the grease-stained floor of his uncle’s machine shop.
With over 30 years of industry experience, I have partnered with renowned companies such as Grove Worldwide, JLG Industries, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, and Rubbermaid. My extensive background spans a diverse range of manufacturing and consulting activities, enabling me to drive continuous improvements, optimize processes, and deliver high-quality results across multiple industries.
Starting out by cleaning heavy equipment as a teenager, Brian was like a sponge—super eager, willing to listen, and hungry to learn everything he could. But life has a way of throwing heavy stuff at us when we least expect it. When Brian was just 15 years old, a sudden car accident took his 17-year-old brother’s life. In a single moment, his whole world changed. The shock of losing his brother forced him to grow up fast and face hard, real-life questions: Where do we go after this? What are we actually doing with our lives?
Yet, as Psalm 139 reminds us, God writes every single chapter of our story before day one even starts. Even in the middle of deep heartbreak, God was quietly building patience, maturity, and faith inside Brian. He ended up leaving college after three semesters because he realized that standard classrooms weren't where God was calling him.
Later, when 9/11 hit, Brian’s very first laser-cutting business went completely under. He lost his car, his home, and his pride, having to move back into his parents' house. It felt like a total failure. But God wasn't done. What felt like the end of the road was actually just a turn toward Kansas City, a new business partner, and a future he couldn't have pictured.
Building a Business on Unshakable Faith
How do you step into a high-stress, fast-paced job like supply chain logistics without letting the pressure eat you alive? You learn to look at your life through the eyes of Jesus.
Running a logistics business—handling receiving, packing, and shipping for big stores—is tough work. If one count is wrong on the warehouse dock, the whole system breaks down.
When Harley-Davidson first asked Brian if he could store parts for them, he didn't have a huge 50-page business strategy. He just had faith, a leased 17,000-square-foot building, and the courage to say "yes" when God opened the door.
During their conversation on the podcast, host David Mansilla shared a powerful thought: God works from the end back to the beginning.
When we stick close to Jesus, we don't have to live in fear about how things will turn out. We can rest in the truth that in the end, God wins.
Romans 8:28 gives us this solid promise: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
When you anchor your life and work in hope, daily worries lose their power over you. You start seeing every hard situation as a small piece of a much bigger, beautiful plan.
From Rock Bottom to Redemption
Real leaders aren't built when things are easy; they're forged when everything goes wrong. For Brian, that breaking point came around 2012.
Hoping to connect his different warehouse locations across the country, Brian decided to start a trucking company. It seemed like a smart idea, but it quickly turned into a million-dollar nightmare that almost destroyed his entire business.
Drowning in debt, Brian was hit with extreme pressure from unpaid landlords, equipment leases, and bank loans. One landlord even threatened to lock the warehouse doors and keep his clients' goods hostage. For three straight nights, Brian cried himself to sleep, crushed by the fear of losing everything he had worked for.
When he sat down with his advisory team, all four advisors told him the exact same thing: "It's over. You need to file for bankruptcy."
When everyone tells you to throw in the towel, what do you do? Brian called his Uncle Pete, who gave him the simplest and strongest advice possible: "Pray."
Brian refused to give up. He went out, met face-to-face with his creditors, made honest deals, and fought day after day to save his business. Years later, he was able to pay back every single penny.
Looking back, Brian said it best:
"Until I finally hit rock bottom, I didn't realize who my Rock was. And then that Rock lifted me back up."
How God Refines a Servant Leader
Why does God let us go through dark valleys, financial stress, and moments where we feel totally lost?
James 1:2–4 tells us to find joy even in hard times, because tests of faith build real patience—and that patience shapes us into strong, complete people who aren't easily shaken.
Brian’s story sounds a lot like metalworking. Raw metal starts out rough, dirty, and dull. To turn it into something smooth and shining, it has to go through a long, tough, heat-filled polishing process.
In the same way, God uses our daily struggles to polish our character until His love and strength show through us.
Brian’s way of leading isn't about showing off or flexing authority; it’s about serving others with a humble heart:
He cares about his team: He remembers that behind every business decision are real people and families who count on him.
He stays teachable: He keeps his heart humble, ready to listen, learn, and put relationships first.
He stays disciplined: He balances the non-stop stress of work with physical discipline (earning his 4th-degree black belt in Taekwondo) and daily quiet time with God.
Anchoring Your Mindset for the Final Victory
If you walk into Brian McMaster’s office today, you’ll notice a small wooden sign sitting right on his desk. It says three simple words:
"BUT FIRST, PRAY."
It’s not just a nice piece of room decor; it’s his actual survival guide for life.
Whether you’re dealing with a bad day at school, family struggles, money problems, or giant career stress, your very first move shouldn't be to panic—it should be to talk to God.
Life will test your limits. You're going to face big mountains, enjoy quiet valleys, and then face even bigger mountains. But when your heart is anchored in Jesus, you don't have to face those obstacles alone. The same God who carried Brian through his hardest moments is standing right beside you in yours.
Take a moment today and ask yourself:
Am I trying to carry all my stress on my own shoulders, or am I handing it over to God?
Can I trust that God is using my current struggle to make me stronger?
No matter how overwhelming things feel right now, hold on. Keep stepping forward, keep your faith strong, and in everything you do—First, Pray.
Author: Jovilyn Abella
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“Until I finally hit rock bottom, I didn’t realize who my Rock was. And then that Rock lifted me back up.”
