Success

To laugh often and love much

To win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

endure the betrayal of false friends

To appreciate beauty

To find the best in others

To leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition

To know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

This poem is often attributed to Elisabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley and it was Providence that brought it to my attention. I was recently talking to someone about success - what is it, when do you know you have it, and such. This person was raised with the self-made-man mentality; success is for those at the top of the ladder - those who work 70 plus hours a week. Work is where worth comes from and Jesus, family or others, well, they don't matter. Achieving at work is success. So what does God say? He definitely doesn't say work is where worth comes from! Solomon, the wisest man ever, says that the world's view of success is like chasing the wind - it is pointless. And it leaves us empty. We, followers of Christ, need to have a paradigm shift in terms of how we view success. The above poem might not be a completely accurate representation of success but notice it doesn't talk about money, status or work.

So, how do you define success? May we look to the Scriptures to find our definition.