Photo by Peter Griffin

My wife and I were talking today about “success” and just why it is that some people “succeed” and others do not.  

Or, rather, seem to succeed.

True success comes from being who God created you to be.  It isn’t defined by career or social status or riches or fame.  God created each of us individually – formed us in our mothers’ wombs – and it is He Who has the right to define who we are.

When chasing success (as the world defines it) or trying to redefine who we are, we are making a huge mistake.  We become judgmental.  We become perfectionists.  

And we miss out on what’s important in life.

For many years, I felt like I couldn’t find “me”.  I had some vague idea of who I thought I ought to be.  But those notions were based on what others said I should do, or be.

Little did I know, I’ve been staring at me in the mirror all my life.  I just didn’t want to admit it.  Why?  My self image was pretty poor.  I truly believed myself incapable of anything worthwhile.  I believed that nothing I did was good enough, that my talents weren’t talented enough, my smarts not smart enough.

Vanity of vanities, all was vanity.

Thankfully I serve a faithful, patient God, Who walks with me, puts up with me, strengthens me, wisens me.  (And, trust me, I can always use wisdom.)

I am finally learning that my talents are only important inasmuch as God uses them to work through me to bless others.  

I am learning that results are not my problem.  I’m not called to succeed.  I am called to be faithful.  I am called to follow Christ.  I am called to not fear, but walk in faith.

If I stumble, I stumble.  If I fall, I fall.  If I fail,… well, did I really fail?  Not if what I did was for the right reason: the cause of Christ, the work of the Gospel, the Love of the Shepherd.

None of us has a thing to fear.  No reason to get worked up.  No need to be anxious.  To be sure, scary things will happen in life.  Worrisome situations.  Troubling circumstances.  Stuff over which we have absolutely no control.  

Hear this: we have no real control anyway.  We cannot control our circumstances but we can control our reactions.  We have no need to fear.  All fear does is polarize, neutralize and destroy.

Being a chicken, succumbing to fear because we are not perfect or life isn’t playing by our rules, can only have one outcome:

  
Photo by Maliz Ong

#StandUpForChrist