"How am I measuring success?" is a very important question to ask when determining God's will. Proverbs 13:12 states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” When our godly desires are being fulfilled, joy is brought to our lives. The goal, then, is to align our desires with God’s. God wants us to experience a fulfilled and abundant life. An abundant life can include material wealth, but it does not depend on it, nor does it focus on it. “Those that follow Christ must not expect great or high things in this world” (Matthew Henry). Problems arise when we seek money, status, and recognition instead of the things of God—when we pursue prosperity instead of our God-given passion. Literally millions of people are unhappy today because they chose a lucrative career rather than a career that they were gifted for and would enjoy. Many are living, but there’s no life in their years.
When I worked in the corporate world, my workweek was spent crunching numbers, reviewing revenue lines, hitting board-allocated budgets, and auditing departments. Ultimately, I gave up so much for so little. I was not afforded the luxury of being involved in the lives of others to the degree that I am now. Those who are the most fulfilled are often those who focus on making a difference in the lives of others. My advice: focus on the blessings that you do have, not on the things that you don’t have. Your career should follow, not precede, a relationship with God and your family. If you want to truly know what’s important to you, simply review how you spend your time and your money. It’s difficult to be in the center of God’s will when priorities are misaligned. For instance, a husband may want a large home, expensive cars, and lots of money, but that’s not what his wife and children will need. They’ll first need to feel a sense of spiritual leadership, security, and understanding. Proverbs 23:4 says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” When we wear ourselves out in the pursuit of wealth, relationships suffer—period. This is not God’s will.
Proverbs 1:19 says, “Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain. It ends up robbing them of life.” I want to stress this point, especially to men. To be robbed of life often means to be robbed of joy, peace, and contentment. Ironically, self-centeredness takes from your life, rather than gives. Although difficult, focus on making a positive difference in the lives of others. You’ll never regret that decision.
God has called all of us to minister to one another. Some may have the calling of a professional, a technician, a pastor, a contractor, and/or one of the highest callings of all, a parent; yet, they still lack fulfillment, largely because of their definition of success.
For example, a singer may cut demo tapes and promote their music year after year, but their career never takes off. They see other artists succeeding and wonder why they are not. Maybe the question shouldn’t be, “Why am I not succeeding?” but rather, “Am I pursuing my God-given purpose?” In other words, how are we measuring success? Maybe we should redefine our definition of success. Is there a difference between a musician who sells millions of CDs worldwide compared to the person who sings at church, touches dozens of lives, and attends to the daily needs of his or her family? Society may believe that there is a huge difference—one is a “success,” the other is not, but God looks at the heart rather than the outward appearance (I Samuel 16:7). It may be that both are successful in His eyes. Surely He blesses some people with prosperity and recognition, but, in many cases, the one who appears least is actually greater. As Oswald Chambers said, “God buries His men [and women] in the midst of paltry things, no monuments are erected to them; they are ignored, not because they are unworthy, but because they are in the place where they cannot be seen.”
Be careful how you measure success. Are you trying to be the best, or trying to do your best? Doing your best, and being the best spring from different motives. When we try to “be the best,” we may have the tendency to compete and compromise our character, thus lowering our standards in the pursuit of being No. 1. Strive for excellence and make every effort to accomplish your goals, but test your motives. (Check out Colossians 3:23.)
Using your gifts to help others, especially those who cannot offer anything in return, is God’s will; it leads to fulfillment. Is it always easy? Not at all, but when we reflect on how blessed we are as a nation and how gracious God has been, we can be encouraged and motivated to help others. This is the “true” measure of success.