“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:11

When I first heard this scripture, it was actually in an audiobook I was listening to. I’ll be honest, I had a moment where I thought, Wait—this is in the Bible? It felt brand new to me, like I had never heard it before.

Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t remember hearing this verse before, and it hit me in a powerful way. But yes, it is in the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:11. I want to acknowledge that I’m taking it a bit out of its full context as I share it with you today. Paul originally wrote this letter to the Thessalonian church to encourage them in godliness. The overall theme of the book is about clinging to God and growing in holiness throughout your life.

Now, even though this verse was written to that particular church, I think it feels surprisingly relevant today (especially in contrast to what our culture promotes). It’s basically the opposite of what we’re taught, not only by the world at large but also in the online business space and personal brand culture.

The verse says to make it your goal to live a quiet life. But think about that… quiet? That’s not what we’re told to pursue. We're encouraged to share everything, to grow a massive following, to be known, to be the best, to constantly strive, and to be seen on the stage, at the top, as “the one.”

Then it continues: minding your own business. Again, not exactly the message we usually hear. We're often pulled into gossip, comparison, and criticism (even without knowing the full context of someone else’s life).

You see a social media post, a successful launch, a great reel, and suddenly you’re thinking, “Wow, that was so clever. Why didn’t I think of that?” And just like that, you’re caught in the comparison trap, pulled out of your lane because you're not minding your own business.

In so many ways, social media culture encourages the opposite. We’re constantly looking at other people’s businesses (and their lives), and measuring ourselves against them.

That’s why this verse felt so compelling to me. Mind your own business. Pay attention to the work right in front of you instead of watching what everyone else is doing. It’s simple, biblical advice but also incredibly solid business advice.

I often tell people: if you need to unsubscribe from a competitor’s email list, do it. If you need to unfollow someone on social media, do that too. Mind your own business. Focus on what God has placed in front of you.

Read more: Bible Verses to Encourage You in Goal Setting & Vision Casting as a Business Owner

Then we come to the last part: working with your hands.

I spent some time reading commentaries to understand what this meant in its original context. Paul was encouraging believers to do honest work and provide for themselves. Don’t be lazy or idle, and don’t rely on others for support unnecessarily.

He was calling them to value hard, honest work. And that’s something we can absolutely apply as business owners. We’re called to avoid laziness and idleness, and to take pride in the effort it takes to build something meaningful.

Paul was urging the church not to fall into the world’s standards of work, but to exceed them as Christians. To work honestly, work smartly, and provide well for their families.

And I think it’s important to recognize that not all valuable work is paid work (especially as we apply this message in 2025).

In fact, for many of us, a lot of the “working with your hands” that we do each day (the kind that doesn’t involve a computer) is unpaid work. And I think this scripture applies to that kind of work, too.

Things like loading and unloading the dishwasher, doing laundry, changing diapers, cooking dinner, cleaning up your kids’ eating area for the fifth time in a day. Comforting a crying child. Getting on your hands and knees to wipe up the milk your toddler spilled before someone slips on it.

It’s setting up a craft or activity for your kids. Preparing the coffee pot the night before. Making sure the diaper bag is fully stocked or your car is packed and ready for a family outing. Maybe this summer, you’re the one responsible for packing everyone’s things for a trip and making it feel special. These are just a few examples from my own life. I’m sure you can relate.

This kind of hands-on, often repetitive, unpaid work is still glorifying to God. It may feel small, but it is deeply meaningful. It’s kingdom work too.

Now, I want to take a brief detour from business talk and share a quote with you from Well-Watered Women. Some of you might be familiar with this ministry and shop. Years ago, early in my business journey, before I had kids, I was their marketing manager. I even got to design their website, and it was such a meaningful season of work for me.

They’ve written a lot about where the gospel meets everyday life, especially in the mundane. One phrase they use is “missional laundry,” which I love. I’ll link to the full blog post in the show notes, but I want to read you an excerpt that really captures what I’m talking about.

It speaks to how these repetitive, everyday tasks are actually a key part of our sanctification and walk with Christ. This brings us right back to that idea in Scripture of working with your hands and honoring the work God puts right in front of us—even when it feels less important than our business work.

Here’s the quote:

“If we were to add up the tasks that make up the days of our lives, most of them would be mundane, repeated, unexciting everyday tasks. We often live for the brief moments of being out of our humdrum routines, but it is in those day-to-day tasks that God brings to completion the work of sanctification in our hearts. Daily chores, such as laundry, cooking, scrubbing toilets, and taking out the trash, become an avenue for knowing Christ more fully if we allow God’s scrubbing brush to have its way in our souls rather than resisting His cleansing.” 

When you fold your clothes, think about who will wear them. Will your husband wear this button-up to work the next day? Pray for him as you spray starch on that shirt and press the steaming iron on the creases. Pray that he would be a light in the darkness as he provides for your family. Will your child wear those shorts with the stain on them you are scrubbing to get clean? Pray for her heart to be soft and moldable to the Gospel as you discipline her in the ways of the Lord. Who made these clothes? Who spun the thread that made the fabric that holds each piece together? Who sewed the buttons and added the label? Pray for those hands. Pray that if they don’t yet know Jesus, they soon will.

There are a million ways to shift our perspectives and love God with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength as we go about our daily tasks.”

You can read the full article here.