The Pursuit of Success
Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
Growing up, I struggled with a poor self-image.
I used to believe that I had no value to others, and I had to focus on fixing my own problems.
Since I considered myself to be unlovable in my imperfect state, I began to seek approval from God and the people in my life by working hard to achieve success.
Here are some things I worked on to achieve "success."
- Getting up early to read the Bible.
- Volunteering in church.
- Exercise
- Learning software engineering and having a successful career.
Despite the fact that everything listed above is considered to be good, the motivation behind my actions was important.
As I continued down the path of personal development, I began to experience the rewards of my efforts.
There was only one problem: I still felt broken inside. I still wasn't perfect. I still had a poor self-image and believed I was unlovable. No matter how hard I tried, nothing would ever be good enough.
And someone came to Him (Jesus) and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
I began to recognize that all of my efforts were vain apart from God. It is true that I wasn't good enough. I needed forgiveness and grace to experience the life that God wanted me to have and to fulfill the purpose He had for my life.
- Are you trying to save yourself or are you abiding in Christ?
- Do you think you are a good person? How do you define good? What does God's Word say?
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