As I stood upon the little green-blue stage of the multi-purpose room of my school and accepted my awards for this school year, I blushed and halfheartedly accepted them. I glanced around nervously at the sea of students, each individually successful in their own way. Successful. I stumbled over that word.
Even
though I received many awards tonight, I don't know if I would consider
myself...successful. Grades are great, sure. I just felt though, that
the definition of success seemed a bit...wrong.
Good
grades are, well good, but are they really all that we should strive for... to
be successful? Society deems success as having good grades, having a large
house, having a multitude of money, and having a high paying, stressful,
over-the-top job that you could consider a 'bragging right'. To me it all seems
wrong.
Success
should not be measured in achievements, but rather the way you live
your life.
I listen
to my parents discuss their success. They seem disappointed. They seem to feel
that they hadn't achieved much... they hadn't succeeded in their endeavors. I
feel the complete opposite though.
My
parents are good, kind, hardworking people who care deeply about their family
and God. They have raised three good and kind children who have a love for God
and care about other people. These children respect those around them and treat
others with the utmost kindness in their hearts. They are quiet and courteous,
and just a dash bashful!
Is that
not successful? Is being a good person not an achievement? Is serving God not
respectable or an achievement? Something that should be held in high honor?
I feel
that success in God's eyes in measured in love, not awards.
Accepting these awards made me feel embarrassed. I know that I've done well in
school... anyone who tries hard enough can do that. But only a few people can
actually say that they have succeeded in loving their neighbor and following
God's commands.
Succeeding
in love often goes unnoticed, but I feel that it deserves the greatest award,
with which you will be repaid with... God's eternal home.
"Blessed
is the one
who does
not walk in step with the wicked
or stand
in the way that sinners take
or sit
in the company of mockers
but
whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who
meditates on his law day and night.
That
person is like a tree planted by streams of
water,
which
yields its fruit in season
and
whose leaf does not wither—
whatever
they do prospers."
Psalms
1: 1-3
Success
is not being dazzling and glamorous with a fancy job, it's serving God to the
best of your abilities. It's loving your neighbor. It's living a life of
purposeful fulfillment, not one in which you strive to be the biggest or the
best.
God
bless you and may you be successful in love, walking a good path, and
delighting in the Lord. Then, you will be truly successful.
Laura Rose is
a child of God and a blogger who is on a mission to share that God NEVER Fades.
She loves gardening, reading, spending time with her family, and spending time
with God. To learn more about Laura and her journey with Christ, visit her at
godneverfades.wordpress.com!
I encourage you to hop over to Laura's blog and get to see a bit more of her heart! Click on the button, and don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts on this post!
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