The Elusiveness of Success

I quite often hear people talk about happiness; and inevitably somewhere in the conversation the term “success” gets attached to the dialog.  In my last piece I made reference to the premise that God doesn’t call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful.  In my view, joy is derived from the pursuit of something pure, something that is actually tied to your legacy and to your eternity.  I’ve studied quite extensively over my many years in business about success; and like most people; my pursuit of happiness was usually tied directly the amount of money I could earn.  Success meant having things, living in certain neighborhoods, and keeping up with the other “successful” people.  Over the last few days; I was reminded again, that I was finally on the right path; no longer chasing something that wasn’t there to begin with.  No doubt that this new found focus flows in direct proportion to my new relationship with Christ; as I now find myself walking in the light He is shining for me down my new path.  I know this mainly because of how I feel compared to how I used to feel.  I used to feel ill and unsure; always chasing an invisible object.  Now I feel confident and peaceful knowing that I’m saved by grace and all I have to rest in rest in that beautiful space.  Like many others out there, I was always looking for something that wasn’t there; the elusive premise of success.  I refer to this as “success sickness”; the empty feeling in your stomach once you’ve achieved something.  However, the way you are living your life has the drain clogged; and you actually feel ill as opposed to successful.  Always searching for that elusive target that doesn’t really exist.  You see, “success” is something that is tied to one’s perspective; and the term in and of itself; really has no meaning.  It’s an opinion!!

This past weekend I stayed at The Amelia Island Plantation Resort in North Florida for a much needed time of rest and relaxation. I've been running really hard and fast since I came out of recovery; and I needed to recharge my batteries. It's an awesome place; one of my new favorites for sure. I played a few rounds of golf, visited Fernandina Beach historic district, and awoke early to watch the sunrise one morning. Nothing like a magnificent sunrise to identify with the magnitude of God's power and presence. As I sat and watched the sun come up Sunday morning; I was so overwhelmed with joy and thanks for what God has done in my life the past year. I prayed and thanked him for all of the wonderful things in my life, the grace to be at this fantastic place, and most of all; for my new relationship with Him and for my beautiful children. An amazing moment; just me and My Creator talking about next steps in my journey on this side of Heaven. We agreed on a plan; and I'm excited about the future.

I met some really cool people during my short stay; but I also encountered some very ego centric folks and a few guys so wrapped up in the world, what they had, and what they still wanted to get. Guys like the old man who I used to be; what amazing relief to realize how far I've grown through Christ.  People talking about how much money they make (success), where they live, what kind of car they drive, and how many resorts they’ve been to.  But instead of competing, like I used to do, I just sat and listened; asking a series of questions that; on a few occasions; turned the banter into meaningful conversations.  Don’t get me wrong; I also met some really awesome people, some future golfing partners; and maybe even a new business contact or two.  I truly enjoy meeting new people, and now with my newfound faith in Christ; I even enjoy it more. But one conversation in particular inspired me to write this piece.  As I started asking some more poignant questions to this one person in particular; his friend got noticeably uncomfortable and walked away.  My new friend almost walked away as well; saying he needed to leave; but for some reason he did not.  He stayed longer to talk; and a few minutes later he started telling me that he has always loved helping people.  He was telling me that most of his “success” has come from helping others; and this was a topic we had in common.  This gave me the opening I was awaiting to start sharing my testimony.  He was moved by my testimony and I found it interesting that he was actually compelled to share more about himself and the conversation slowly shifted into one of a more spiritual nature.  A few moments later; we were talking about our own unique abilities to help others and how this had direct correlation to what Jesus did; and what we are called to do in The Great Commission.  

It goes something like this:

Matthew 28:16-20 - The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The word “authority” is critical here; and this one word today can be the difference in weather or not you will derive anything at all from my message today.  On His authority; we are to go out and make disciples; it’s as clear as day; and something I plan on doing the rest of my life.  I’ve been given a gift, a second chance, and I do not plan to waste one more minute on self-absorption, trying to find success, and/or feeding my ego.  It’s about what He has done, not about what I have done or what I will do.  Another important thing to remember here; is that in order to go out and MAKE disciples; we first need to come to grips with what it means to BECOME a disciple.  It’s actually quite easy to identify; yet quite difficult to live out.  For me, I’m just learning how to become someone who can meet the following three criteria.  That is to be:

·         Called to live "in” Christ

·         Equipped to live "like" Christ

·         Sent to live "for" Christ

I’ve been quite challenged since I returned to the real world after spending an entire year in rehab.  However, the strength of character that I built up through my relationship with Christ is something more powerful than anything I could have imagined and achieved on my own. It’s like a built in radar detector for BS, sinful living, and anything that is not authentic.  I’ve always been quite skilled at identifying traits in others, but less skilled at following my own advice.  Can anyone relate?  It’s sort of like my golf game; I’m really good at showing folks how to grip a club, where the stand in relationship to the ball, and how the golf swing works.  But when I address the ball myself; I grip it and rip it!!  That is exactly how my old life used to work, and I thank God every day for a newfound sense of self that I have; finally knowing who I am in Him.  The beauty is that this new focus is starting to manifest in my ability to connect with others in a more deep and meaningful way; truly a new blessing that I cherish. 

Therefore, if you find yourself chasing “success’; stop in your tracks and take stock of what you are truly trying to accomplish.  What are chasing and what does it really mean in the grand scheme?  In the end, success doesn’t really exist.  As I mentioned in the beginning of this piece; the purpose of our lives are tied simply and directly to two simple items; Legacy and Eternity.  Much more on those two items in future posts. 

Peace and Love; Tony