Success is the god of our time.
It’s what almost everyone aims for. Plans for. Goes to school for.
To be a success.
In one sense, this is natural and even good. No one should want to live a mediocre life. God-driven ambition is a good thing. But in another sense, trying to be successful is a fool’s errand.
And that’s because success is a moving target. The bar is always moving, and no matter what you do, you’ll probably never quite measure up.
In regards to other people, you’ll always be in-between people who are more successful than you, and this will make you feel insecure. Or less successful than you, and you’ll be prideful.
In regards to yourself, no matter how much success you achieve, there will always be more to achieve. A new mountain to climb. A new level to reach. And the new mountain and the new level will make the previous one look like you weren’t successful.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. Early in my ministry, I tried to be the most successful preacher at conferences. Have the best blog. Pastor the most successful church. I tried hard, and I’m sure I did some good, but it was never enough for me personally. And no matter how successful I was or my church was, I could always point to another person or church that was more successful.
But then I heard my friend Matthew Barnett of the LA Dream Center say something that his father once told him that changed everything:
Stop trying to be a success and start trying to be a blessing.
My whole paradigm shifted. Now when I went to a conference, I was asking myself what the people there needed to hear. Not what would get me invited to more conferences. What blog posts would bless people the most? Not simply boost my numbers. How could I bless the most people in my city? Not just have the most people in my church.
What’s interesting is that not only was I more effective, I usually got the success I had been trying to get before anyways. By trying to be a blessing, I would get more conference invites. Better blog numbers. A higher church attendance.
When I tried to be successful, I usually didn’t get either. When I tried to be a blessing, I got both.
You could spend a lifetime trying to achieve success that will always be just beyond you. Or you could spend it trying to bless everyone around you.
One is infinitely more satisfying. One is more likely to get you both.
Be a blessing. And you’ll be a success.
