Chasing Success

If I don't make it to the big leagues,

If I never win a Grammy
I'm gonna be just fine
'Cause I know exactly who I am

--Julie Andrews “Who I am”

My whole life I have been very success-driven. Part of this is probably because I am the oldest child and therefore I have something inside me that pushes me to want to please my parents, but it is also probably a mixture of pride, the American dream, and security. So throughout middle school and high school I wanted to be in everything and I wanted to be the best at everything (not in a competitive nature, but just out of a drive for success.) I then chose to come to the top school in my state, in order to receive the top education so that I could land the best job with the highest salary. In fact, last year one of my friends asked me what my biggest fear is and I replied, “Growing up and not being successful.”

However, after a year at this amazingly successful school, God has changed my heart and shifted the direction of my dreams. Recently he has really showed me that success can’t be my main goal in this life. Success is not guaranteed to anyone, no matter how hard they work. I know people who have worked their butt off for years, taking teams to state play-offs and students to new levels, but still lost everything in the end. No one can promise you a successful and secure life—it simply does not exist.

So as I sat back and pondered all of this I thought, well God if awards, money, and praise is worthless, then what do I pour myself into? “Me, you dear child!” God was probably giving me the “duh” look once again as he had to walk me back through his promises of being eternal. If you are a regular reader your have probably heard me say the three things that are eternal: God, God’s people, and God’s word. Over and over again this becomes more and more important to me. EVERYTHING ELSE IS USELESS—A CHASING AFTER THE WIND!! (Ecclesiastes)

What good will it do to have all the money and awards in the world if you miss watching your children grow up? And what are you going to do with that big house if you have no one to share it with? What’s God gonna say when you get to heaven and he asked you what you did and you say, “Well I have a real nice bank account.” Jesus said in Matthew 19:24, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

He also said in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

I don’t know if you have seen the wonderful new movie Country Strong featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, but the underlying theme of the movie emphasizes on this. In the movie, Kelly Canter (Paltrow) is a super famous country singer who spends the entire film going in and out of drug abuse and rehab.

(SPOILER ALERT) At the very end of the movie you finally think she’s gotten her life together. The audience's hope rises as you see her perform an astounding show in front of millions of happy fans cheering her name. Her husband tells her he loves her finally, and she makes peace with her younger rival. However, at the peak of her success, she kills herself with substance abuse.

It’s heartbreaking to watch this happen to famous people. I know you can think of tons who have, or supposedly have taken their own life despite their pinnacle of success. (Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley) You would think if anyone could be completely satisfied with this life it would be the rich and the famous. After all, that’s what we’re all aiming for right? But if that’s what it takes to be fulfilled and content with life, why are they all turning to drugs, alcohol, and death for relief?

Please, by all means chase your dreams and do what your heart desires, but don't let these dreams become an idol. Keep God first and foremost and all of your desires will match his. Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. "

Chase after God. He won’t let you down.

Psalm 119:32

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

Live Up to Your Future!

Have you ever thought about going to your future and looking back at where you are now?

Something I always encourage girls to do is to make a list of all the specific qualities they want in a husband someday. Typically most Christian girls want a man of God who treats them with respect, is wise, protects them, etc. Regardless of how serious that girl takes her walk, this is what she wants. I think we sometimes forget to realize that to get someone that amazing and self-sacrificing, we have to do the same in return.

What do you want in a husband?

-Someone who puts others first

-Someone who respects me

-Someone who prays for me.

- (insert the rest of your list here)

Now look at your present, are you doing all these things in the relationships you have with your friends? Are you taking the time to work on these characteristics yourself? Do your dating relationships reflect this attitude?

When I was a year or two younger and guys would try to pursue me, something that always came to my mind was, “Would I want to tell my husband I had a relationship with this guy?” The answer was usually no, I could not stand the thought of telling the man I love and married--who is godly, respectful, wonderful—that I chose to date this worldly, desperate, less-than-my-standards guy because I grew impatient while waiting for him.

In fact, I am really kind of ashamed I have to tell my husband that I dated anyone at all. When I think about my future and look back on my past, it’s almost embarrassing. All those years of dating and talking and emotionally attaching myself to icky guys who didn’t care—why would I enjoy telling my husband that? To tell him that is telling him I couldn’t wait for you or God any longer, so just 16 years in I took the matter into my own hands and screwed everything up.

I realize we can’t change the past. And I’m not at all running for my past or covering it up, (because the truth is my husband will find out someday,) but we do have a say in the present and in the future. Think about what you’re doing now. What are you pursuing with your heart? Guys that aren’t yours? Things that won’t last like fashion and popularity? Are these pursuits something you can look back on with a pure heart and be satisfied with?

The 50 Year Plan

I encourage all of you to do something that has helped me enormously lately. Take some time today and sit down with a pen and paper. Think about where you want to be in 50 years. Not necessarily just your career, but who will you be? What will you do in your free time? What will you do with the people you love? Write it all down.

Then think about where you want to be in 30 years. What you will be doing, who you will be with, how you will live…write it down.

Repeat the process for 20 years, 10, and 5.

Then look at the steps you will have to take to get from the present to the place you want to be in 50 years. What steps do you need to take daily to get there?

Write down your daily goals for this.

What long-term steps over the course of the next several years do you need to do to get there? Write these down too.

When we plan ahead for the future, it is always important to make a plan of action in how to get there. Big goals need lots of little goals in order for them to happen. So who do you want to be in 50 years? Does the person you are now reflect that?

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”