Proclaim Trust

Duncan Bannatyne's Close Encounter

I have just finished reading the autobiography of Dragon's Den's Duncan Bannatyne, ‘Anyone Can Do It'. The book tells the story of how he has become a very successful businessman, and it provides many insights into the world of business. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find him referring to a close encounter that he'd had with God during a trip to Romania.

Duncan is very committed to charity work, particularly in Romania. This all started when he was asked to host a fundraising event for a Romanian orphanage. As he learnt about the work, he got more and more involved, eventually visiting the projects several times in person. During one visit, he was so distressed by what he had seen that he left the group he was with so he could be alone.

Duncan writes:

I found a quiet place at the side of the house. I couldn't stop the tears. I had no choice but to let the tears flow; and they just kept pouring out of me and wouldn't stop. After many minutes, I began to get the feeling that I wasn't alone. It was there and then that God said hello. It was unmistakable: I knew who had come, and I also knew why. It wasn't a spiritual thing, it was a Christian thing. It was profound, and I stood there, stunned, considering the offer and thinking about what it would mean. I knew I wanted to keep building up my business, and I wanted to keep making money, and I also knew I wanted to carry on doing all the things I wasn't proud of - I knew I was never going to be this totally Christian guy going to church on Sundays.

After reading this, I was reminded that God wants to meet with us; however, like Duncan Bannatyne, sometimes we are not ready to meet with him. Maybe if he had realised that he could still build his business, make money and carry on doing all the things that he's proud of, it would have made a difference to his response and he would of accepted God's offer?