Success

I continue to wrestle with this idea of success. More directly what is it to be a successful Christ-Follower? Due to the fact God meets each one of us right where we are at, coupled with the fact we are a unique creation, I fear there is no such thing as a picture perfect Christ-Follower. There is no possibility of being able to post pictures of what it looks like to be a successful Christ-Follower. Yet, it is important to have a standard by which we can measure.

There are a few classic errors that are made in the pursuit however. First is the works error. Our success as Christ-Followers is not about accomplishing some 'to do' list of spiritual disciplines. It is not about being able to present a resume of Christ accomplishments. The second common error is to think all we have to do is believe in God. This is to claim a belief system, but never have actions or disciplines in our lives which support the claim of belief. The third common error might be the hardest to recognize, I will call it the just like me error. It is common for each of us to develop certain aspects of the faith journey which are pivotal for our development. This is not bad. The challenge enters when we think that is the solution for everyone else. Often this shows up in statements like, "If people would only do _____________ more, then they would know God." This might be a very true statement, but we have to remember God has created each of us unique. While Jesus Christ is the only way to God, we do not have access to Jesus Christ all figured out.

So what do we do? We stop worrying about the details and begin to live our lives as an act of drawing closer to God. Drawing close to God happens in many forms and patterns. But the truest make of success that I can find is a life which continually draws closer to the heart of God, and begins to reflect the heart of God in our day to day living.