Listen to the Whispers Before the Crash

Jonathan Pleska had achieved what most graphic designers only dream about. For years, he worked with the NFL, NHL, Coke, Pepsi, and other major national brands. He had climbed to the highest ranks of his field, collaborated with recognizable names, and built a portfolio that spoke for itself. From the outside, he had arrived.

But success at that altitude came with a cost. The pace was relentless. The hours stretched late into the night. The pressure never let up. Jonathan was working extremely hard, pushing himself beyond what was healthy or sustainable. He was running on fumes, driven by ambition and the demands of high-level clients.

Then, in 2012, everything changed.

The Holy Interruption

One night, after working late again, Jonathan fell asleep at the wheel. His car flipped and slammed into a tree. When the chaos settled, he climbed out of the wreckage—without a scratch. Not a bruise. Not a cut. Nothing.

It was a miracle, and Jonathan knew it. But it was also something more. Looking back, he sees that moment as a holy interruption—a moment when God's protection collided with a deeper warning Jonathan had been ignoring for months.

God had been whispering to me before the crash. I just wasn't listening.

That accident became the defining wake-up call of Jonathan's life. It forced him to slow down, reevaluate everything, and ask a question he had been avoiding: What if success isn't the same thing as alignment?

When the Whispers Started

Jonathan accepted Christ in fifth grade while attending a Christian school. He knew the words. He understood the framework. But he admits now that he didn't fully understand what it meant to have a true relationship with Christ—not then.

That understanding came later, after years of walking, stumbling, and growing. Faith stopped being something he inherited and became something he lived. Jonathan began to realize that Christianity isn't about religious language or knowing the right answers. It's about relationship. It's about surrender. It's about listening.

And before the accident, God had been speaking.

Jonathan now believes there were quiet promptings—whispers—that he should have paid attention to earlier. Subtle signs that he was out of alignment. Small warnings that he was moving too fast, working too hard, and missing what mattered most. The accident was what happened when those whispers were ignored long enough.

I have learned to listen to the whispers God is speaking before life forces me to slow down.

That lesson reshaped everything—his work, his priorities, his faith, and the way he leads his business.

Faith Lived Out in Real Decisions

For Jonathan, faith isn't just a private conviction. It shows up in how he treats people, how he loves them, and how he chooses his work. He wants to be a light for others and reflect Christ in every relationship and business decision.

One of the most tangible ways his faith has transformed his business is in the projects he now chooses—and the ones he doesn't.

There are certain projects Jonathan will disqualify if they're not morally aligned. If a client or opportunity doesn't connect with his values, he's willing to say no. That's not always easy. Turning away work as a business owner can feel risky. But Jonathan has learned a crucial truth: not every opportunity is the right opportunity.

If a project is not morally aligned, I am willing to disqualify it. It's about finding the right tribe.

This kind of discernment requires courage. It also requires clarity about who you are, what you value, and what you're called to build. For Jonathan, alignment matters more than revenue. Mission matters more than momentum. And the right tribe matters more than a big contract.

Serving the Kingdom Through Creative Work

Today, Jonathan is the president of Geared Agency, a company he founded 14 years ago. His work focuses on rebranding, marketing, and helping organizations grow their impact. But the clients he's most drawn to aren't Fortune 500 companies anymore. They're Christian businesses, schools, and churches—organizations with a Kingdom mission.

Jonathan helps these organizations clarify their identity, strengthen their message, and expand their reach. He's especially passionate about helping Christian businesses and schools grow to a nationwide level of influence. He's also beginning to look toward international clients, schools, and churches—places where his creative gifts can serve a larger Kingdom purpose.

But Jonathan has noticed something troubling. Many Christian organizations receive advice that's too generic. They're given the same strategies, the same frameworks, and the same playbooks that secular businesses use—without any consideration for their mission, values, or calling.

Christian businesses and schools do not need generic advice. They need targeted strategy that understands their mission.

Jonathan believes faith-based organizations deserve more. They need strategy that's both excellent and aligned. They need partners who understand that their work isn't just about growth—it's about stewardship, identity, and Kingdom impact.

That's the kind of work Jonathan wants to do. Not just creative work, but Kingdom-aligned creative work. Not just branding, but mission-driven branding. Not just helping organizations grow, but helping them grow in the right direction.

Listen to the Whispers in Your Heart

When Jonathan reflects on what he would tell other leaders, his advice centers on one theme: listen to the whispers God is placing in your heart.

Those whispers may come through prayer, conviction, dreams, or a deep sense of calling. They may show up as a repeated prompting, a restlessness, or a holy discomfort with the status quo. Whatever form they take, Jonathan believes we need to pay attention.

He also believes dreams can carry messages from God. When people have powerful or unusual dreams, Jonathan says we shouldn't be small-minded about them. Instead, we should dive into the dream, seek its meaning, and discern what God may be revealing.

Dreams can carry messages from God, but we have to be willing to seek their meaning.

Jonathan also warns against letting other people divert us from the dreams or callings God has placed in us. Not everyone will understand your vision. Not everyone will support it. That's why it's critical to align with people who will build and cultivate what God is calling you to do.

Surround yourself with the right tribe. Find people who see what you see, who believe what you believe, and who will help you steward the calling with excellence and integrity.

Jump and Trust God for the Parachute

Recently, Jonathan heard a message from Steve Harvey about people who want to jump but don't have a parachute. The image stuck with him because it captures what faith often feels like.

Faith sometimes requires you to jump before you can see the parachute. You step out in obedience, even when the provision isn't visible yet. You move forward, trusting that God will provide what you need on the way down.

Sometimes faith feels like jumping before you can see the parachute, and trusting God to provide it on the way down.

That's the kind of faith Jonathan lives now. It's not reckless. It's surrendered. It's not careless. It's courageous. And it's rooted in the belief that when God calls you to something, He will equip you for it.

Jonathan's car accident taught him that God's whispers are worth listening to. His creative journey taught him that worldly success isn't the same as Kingdom alignment. And his work today is teaching him that when you say yes to the right things and no to the wrong things, you create space for God to do something greater than you could have planned.

So what is God whispering to you? What dream has He placed in your heart that you've been too afraid to pursue? What misaligned opportunity do you need the courage to turn down?

Listen to the whispers. Align with the right tribe. Jump when God says jump. And trust Him to provide the parachute on the way down.