Dictionary.com defines success as "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals."
The world has a very tangible definition of success. I could list the things on that list off the top of my head for hours, but instead Drake made it easy on me. His song "I Just Wanna Be Successful" perfectly captures the worldly pursuit of success: it involves money, cars, clothes, women, awards, parties, fame, and glory. But he's never satisfied. If you claim that you've never been tempted to chase at least one of those things, then you can pat yourself on the back. But I don't believe you.
Why not? Because it's not just Drake that wants those things... not based on the record sales. If he were the only one, then this song wouldn't have been ranked in Rolling Stone's "25 Best Songs of 2009" list. It wouldn't have been certified Gold for exceeding 500,000 copies sold in the U.S.
As Christians, we are called to something so much greater. We are called to a purpose so much bigger than ourselves. And we are called to set ourselves apart by making it clear that we do not share the world's definition of success.
So, it's time to redefine success in a confused and thirsty culture.
In John 8:29, Jesus says, "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." If someone today were to make that claim, it would sound haughty. It implies that the speaker thinks that he is perfect, he is adequately holy, and that there isn't any room for improvement in his spiritual life. But, of course, Jesus isn't just some rando. For him, this statement was truthful. He never sinned, and therefore he never disappointed the Father.
Even though we have all sinned and will do so again, it should still be our goal to always please God--and to furthermore do so with motives that please Him (Prov. 16:2, 21:2).
Go check out Matthew 25: 14-30! It's the Parable of the Bags of Gold. Seriously... read it. To me, the biggest failure would be to arrive in heaven and to be called a wicked, lazy servant. The greatest success would be to hear the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
But don't lose sight of our motivation in pursuing this new, noble definition of success.
God is not trying to rob us of our fun--He wants to reward our commitment, effort, and desire to serve him with joy. In John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Pursuing the world will never fill us up--it will only leave us empty, hurt, and unfulfilled, because that was never God's original intent. His original intent was to be with us constantly, to allow us to enjoy His intimate presence.
God never called us to be successful. He just calls us to be faithful.
But maybe faithfulness is the purest form of success of all.
