Success

Ok, I'm going to address "waiting well" but just not yet.

What I've really been thinking about a lot is the word "success." There are so many different definitions and even more opinions about what it is and what it looks like. And it seems conflict arises when people disagree--imagine that.

Most people, I would say, judge success by temporal factors: accomplishments, occupation, financial status, standard of living, etc., any of which could change at any time, which means perhaps one day you're successful and then another, you're not. Yesterday you were CEO of a prominent and wealthy company, today you're unemployed and being investigated for fraud. Or, in college you set a national record for fastest 100 meter dash, and now you grunt when getting up from a chair and limp to the refrigerator for a soda. Ok, so you were successful. At one point. But now? It seems to me that to continue being "successful" in this manner, you'd have to maintain the success accomplished and/or set and accomplish new goals. That's fine. Go for it. But what is the price and what is the prize? And is it really worth it? (No, seriously, is it?)

For me, I want the best return for my time, energy and money which usually are the three main things required when setting out to accomplish a goal. Those three things are costly, so I want my "success" to last as long as possible. In this temporary life, however, that is difficult, which is why what I'm really talking about is eternal success--that's what is most imporant to me, the kind that will never fade.

We know that our work (aka accomplishments) will eventually be tried by fire (1 Cor 3) and that for that which endures, we will be rewarded. For the work that burns up, for the labor that has no eternal component, we will suffer loss. I imagine part of that loss will be the time/energy/money we spent working for whatever it was that burned up, t/e/m that we could have spent pursuing something that would last forever..just a thought. So why not invest now in that which will last forever? Why spend t/e/m on that which will just burn?

I know most people (and by people I mean Christians) don't think like this or about this, and that's fine. The goal of most Christians I've met is just to get "saved" (often thought accomplished by saying a prayer...) and work up enough courage to attempt to get others "saved" by getting them to say a prayer...but there really is so much more to the Kingdom--the True Life that's behind Door #1. And trust me when I say, we will spend an infinite amount of time behind that door. If we can invest now and get rewards that will last forever (which we can, it's in the Word), why would we waste time pursuing "success" that, while it looks good to others, burns up and doesn't last? I want to put my t/e/m into that which will gain eternal rewards. That's what I call a good return. That's what I call success.


Q: What kind of labor is eternally rewarded?