Stop Succeeding and Be a Blessing

Date 6.14.08

“Die to the dream of being a success and live to be a blessing…”

I heard Pastor Matthew Barnett say this a year ago.  I never forgot it.  That may not even be the exact quote, but I’m pretty sure I nailed the main idea.  Now if only I could put it into practice.

Too much of our (ok, I don’t know about you, but at least my) time and energy is invested in our ambition to arrive.  To make it.  To prove “them” wrong.  To prove myself competent.

For pastors, this success is often defined by an attendance number.  Our self worth is subtly wrapped up in “how many ya runnin?”.
WARNING: when you arrive at that magic number, whatever it may be, it automatically increases, and the game starts over.  You’ll just find yourself running to another gate to catch the next flight to temporary fulfillment.

For parents, this success sometimes takes the form our kids’ accomplishments.  Instead of raising them to be a blessing to their generation, we raise them to be impressive to our neighbors.  What a shame!  Right behaviors, wrong motivations.

Let your dream of succeeding fall to the ground.  Let it die.  The seeds of that dead dream will eventually produce a non-perishable harvest.  Chances are you’ll stay hungry for the some of same things (higher numbers, well-behaved children, whatever…).  But you’ll want them for the right reasons.