Success

Webster’s Defines it as: a: degree or measure of succeeding b: favorable or desired outcome; also: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence, or the accomplishment of aim or purpose.

This word has been close to my heart for the past two months or so, as I have gone through some real transition this past year. Getting married and now expecting our first child, I’m reevaluating what is important. I suppose everyone goes through this at many different points on their journey. But it is a very important part of our walk.

How do we define success? The answer will direct our life’s walk, what we decide to pursue, and how we spend this little time we have here on the earth. The definers in our lives shape much of how we look at things. Our parents, partners, and hero’s help shape the way we see things. Our culture, church and schools help shape our identities and ways of thinking. But lately I’m being challenged to go back to the Word of God to define for me what success looks like.

It’s not hard to see the contradictions between our idea and God’s. If Jesus is our example, then our restless pursuit of happiness and material comforts falls miles short of God’s plan. Paul nails it in Philippians 2 when he says, “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus… but made Himself of no reputation.” One translation says He emptied himself of His privileges, or his rights.

Jesus said himself, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.” He measured success as: Am I being completely obedient to the Father’s divine will. What if we started to measure our lives this way, rather than to the standards of our western culture. What if we started defining our churches this way? Producing obedient lovers of Jesus rather than passive masses. So lets work together at redefining this way of thinking that has led us to where we are now.