{"id":15659,"date":"2026-01-07T20:34:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=15659"},"modified":"2026-01-07T20:34:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:34:33","slug":"hobby-lobbys-david-green-urges-christians-to-rethink-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=15659","title":{"rendered":"Hobby Lobby\u2019s David Green urges Christians to rethink success"},"content":{"rendered":"


By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, January 06, 2026<\/span><\/a>David Green<\/span> | The Christian Post<\/span><\/p>\n

In a culture that often measures success by personal achievement, wealth and recognition, David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby, contrasts this with the assurance that a life that matters is defined not by what someone accumulates but by what they set in motion for generations to come.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Christian Post, Green, whose privately held arts-and-crafts company employs 50,000 people at 1,000 stores in 48 states and grosses nearly $8 billion a year, traced his own understanding of legacy back to his upbringing in a pastor\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came from a pastor\u2019s home. My mother and dad were great pastors \u2014 mainly of very small churches \u2014 and I think I learned a lot from them,\u201d the 84-year-old CEO said. \u201cNot as much as I should have when I was younger, but they had a big influence on my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

That influence, he said, shaped both his faith and the way he approaches business, family and leadership, even as success came later than he expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bible talks about our life being nothing but a vapor,\u201d Green said. \u201cThat helps us decide what we\u2019re going to do with our lives. We\u2019re here for a short time \u2014 so what are we going to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Green\u2019s new book, The Legacy Life, <\/em>written alongside legacy strategist Bill High, urges readers to reject a short-term view of success in favor of a biblical, generational mindset. Drawing from his own experience, Green offers practical guidance for developing a legacy perspective, articulating personal mission and values and passing down stories that matter.<\/p>\n

High, who has spent decades advising families on multigenerational planning as CEO of Legacy Stone, told CP that one of the most common misconceptions he encounters is the belief that legacy is primarily financial.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think legacy is an estate plan,\u201d High said. \u201cThey think that\u2019s the ultimate aim, and it\u2019s not. That\u2019s just a document.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told the Green family early on, \u2018You actually have a good estate plan, but you don\u2019t necessarily have the best legacy plan,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to succeed generationally, you need a clear vision, mission and values that one generation can articulate to the next.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to High, families that succeed across generations are those that think intentionally about the long view, sometimes as far as a century ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you start with that basic foundation and clearly define where you\u2019re going over the next 100 years, you\u2019ve got a shot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Green, grounding that vision in Scripture has been essential; Hobby Lobby funded the Museum of the Bible as part of that commitment. He said one of the biblical ideas that consistently shaped his thinking is the reminder that life is fleeting.<\/p>\n

That written framework, Green said, has served as an anchor as the family looks toward future generations. One of the most significant shifts the father, grandfather and great-grandfather described was rejecting what he called the \u201cwork hard, then retire\u201d mindset, a pattern deeply ingrained in Western culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what helped us shift was our parents,\u201d Green said. \u201cWe knew what was important to them. My mother loved the Lord, had children who served the Lord, and had a strong marriage. On her dying bed, she said, \u2018Do you see them? Do you see them?\u2019 And she was seeing angels.\u201d<\/p>\n

That moment, he said, clarified what truly lasts.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust acquiring a lot of stuff is not what makes someone happy,\u201d Green said. \u201cGod\u2019s been very good to us in business, but we want to do it for a reason bigger than this vapor life.\u201d<\/p>\n

High said families that successfully pass down faith and values tend to share one practical habit: regular family meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Scripture, there are seven major celebrations, Passover being one of them, but there\u2019s one that happens every week: Sabbath,\u201d High said. \u201cIt\u2019s about pulling back from work, remembering, resting and reflecting on the One who created you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Families that thrive, he said, build that rhythm into their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a regular family meeting, a regular agenda, and they talk through the business of the family,\u201d High said. \u201cWho are we? What is God doing? Where is He taking us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Green said his family had already practiced that principle for years through monthly family giving meetings, a tradition he credits with shaping their shared values.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done that for about 25 years,\u201d Green said. \u201cGiving is a great way to transmit family values.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the demands of leading a large company, Green said maintaining balance between work and family has always been a priority and one that influenced major decisions at Hobby Lobby.<\/p>\n

Green said he and his wife, Barbara, made intentional choices to spend time together as a family, including traveling across 44 states with their children in a small car and a pop-up tent. That philosophy, he said, carries over into how the company operates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was raising my kids, I actually worked less than I do now. We just loved being together,\u201d he said, adding that he tells future managers, \u201cThe most important thing is your marriage and your family.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons we close on Sunday. It\u2019s important for our people to have family life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also credited strong leadership within the company, including that of his son, Steve, who became president of the company in 2004, for allowing him to step back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving great people in various departments takes a lot of pressure off,\u201d Green said. \u201cGod\u2019s been good to give us a lot of great people.\u201d<\/p>\n

For young entrepreneurs hoping to honor God while building successful businesses, Green offered the reminder that \u201ceverything belongs to God,\u201d adding: \u201cWe see ourselves as stewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe say God owns it, but then we treat it like we own it,\u201d Green said. \u201cIf He owns everything, then we don\u2019t own it. We\u2019re stewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

That lesson was reinforced during one of the most difficult seasons of his career, the oil bust of the mid-1980s, a crisis that forced him into prayer and dependence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur bank threatened to foreclose on Hobby Lobby,\u201d Green said. \u201cIt was the first year we ever had a loss. I literally crawled under my desk and cried out to God,\u201d Green said. \u201cI realized we can\u2019t do anything without Him.\u201d<\/p>\n

High emphasized that families do not need wealth or public influence to build a meaningful legacy. He encourages families to start small, even before children arrive, by defining values and preserving stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cWealth is not just financial capital,\u201d High said. \u201cIt\u2019s spiritual, emotional and social. Write down your top 10 stories,\u201d High said. \u201cMoments of faith, moments of despair, failures, those stories carry values.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing from the biblical tradition of Passover, High said storytelling is how faith and identity are passed down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe youngest always asks, \u2018Why is this night different?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cStorytelling captures emotion and preserves values.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Green, his ultimate vision remains centered on faith rather than fortune.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy greatest aspiration isn\u2019t financial,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s using what we have to tell as many people as possible about Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cited the company\u2019s involvement with global ministries and efforts to share the Gospel with children worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have this set up so we can sell it and sit on the beach,\u201d Green said. \u201cIt\u2019s His, and we just want to be good stewards as long as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oklahoma City native said seeing his children and grandchildren continue in faith gives him confidence that the work will endure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see Gen 3 and Gen 4 serving the Lord,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what excites me. Legacy is setting something in motion that outlives you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Legacy Life<\/em> is now available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com<\/p>\n