Measuring Success

How do you measure success? Is it in the grades you received in school? Is it based on your paystub? Is it determined by your job role? Is it how popular you are? Is it how many likes you get on Facebook? Is it by how many friends you have? Is it in a relationship status? Is it by a flawless appearance? Is it by knowing all the answers? Is it by rising to the top and being the best? Is it based on how many awards you've received?

We all measure success in various forms. We compare ourselves with others whom we think have reached success and we grow weary when we look at our lives in comparison. We become so caught up in trying to meet up to everyone's expectations and approval that we forget that true success isn't found in a lofty job title or how much our yearly income is. It's not based on knowledge or understanding. It's not even being the smartest or knowing all the right answers.

True success is attained when we humbly realize that there's more to life than what we see. Our purpose here is so much more than getting good grades or rising to the top. It's making the most of our opportunities and using the gifts God has given us, even in the smallest of things. Success is when we can look at our dark circumstances and trust that God is using them to display His light, even when it is beyond our understanding.

I can't count the times that my focus has been clouded and my attention gets focused on material possessions or acceptance from others. How often I cling to find my place here in the world, when in reality, this is not my home. God has placed each of us here temporarily and we have the choice of whether we will use this time to invest it for something eternal, or something temporal. I want more to my life than the fleeting whims and acceptance this world distracts me with.

Even when the world rejects us. Even when we are the only one doing what's right. Even when our paycheck is measly. Even when we don't have a friend to stick by our side. Even when we don't look like that super model. Even when we occupy the lowliest job. Even if we feel untalented. Even if we are single. Even if we are invisible to the world. Our success isn't measured by those things. It is measured in our heart. It is measured by our intentions. It is measured deep within, a place only God can see. Success can't be seen or visibly noticed. It is something that reaches to the inmost part of our heart.

Let your success rather be defined by how you reacted when you endured through that tragic circumstance. Your trust in God when it felt like He was more silent than ever. Your work ethic when nobody else was watching. Your determination when everything was screaming at you to give up. Your courage to stand up for what was right, even if you were rejected. Your joy even when you had every right to be discouraged. When you offered love when it was most difficult to give. These are the things that I like to use to measure true success.