Posted on September 21, 2006 - Filed Under Strategy Groups |
In last week’s Strategy Group meeting most of us admitted to the fact that we have been convinced and even trained to think that unless we meet the American culture’s definition of success, we just can’t feel like we’ve ”made it”. Our life’s purpose becomes about living every waking moment trying to do whatever it takes to measure up to everybody else’s expectations for what success is supposed to look and feel like. Unfortunately for many of us, even though we’ve got the “pedal to the metal”, going as fast and as hard as we can, we’re traveling on a wandering highway with no real idea where it’s leading us. Nobody would understand this addiction anyway, right? It’s called ”Doing Whatever It Takes To Succeed” and is often accompanied by running ourselves into the ground.Society certainly doesn’t encourage a simpler life. In fact, society rewards busy-ness and productivity, while excusing excess consumption of just about anything that makes us feel good for the moment. Those who try to live within limitations (physical, financial,etc.) are often times looked down on as not having “measured-up” to the full potential of a man. No wonder so many of us are messed up!
We sometimes struggle when we observe someone else who appears to be “making it” because we are certainly not going to let anybody else in on the secret that we have no idea how we are going to obtain this elusive success we’re striving to achieve. We’re supposed to be superman, right! But often times we find ourselves stuck, burned out, exhausted and feeling like there’s nothing we can do about it. We don’t want anybody else to know that we’re whipped, and as supermen, we’re rarely willing to tell anybody that we need help to figure it out! Most of us don’t have a close enough relationship with someone we can trust so that we can talk about what’s really going on in our lives. To do so might suggest that we are weak or that we’re a wimp! And we certainly can’t have that! My prayer is that each of you will begin to pursue relationships with other men who will stand with you as you strive to do whatever it takes to achieve the purposes that God has put you on this earth to accomplish. To do so will send a clear message to those around you, but will definitely not suggest that you are a wimp! Do you have the guts?
Frankly, many of these ideas of success are misguided and just plain botched up! The true measure of a real man is defined more clearly by God when he said that we should humble ourselves if we are to be lifted up (encouraged, strengthened, confident, fulfilled)….that is more blessed to give than to receive….and that there is more personal reward as the result of our commitment to serve others rather than in the relentless effort of striving to be served by others. Real success comes when we, as men of God, join together in our willingness to go against the grain of what society calls success so that we may experience “true success” as God defines it.
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