Success is so fun! Winning is fun and Nacho said, “I wanna WIIIIIIIIN” (yes I like Nacho Libre way to much) Everyone likes to win, be on the winning team, and reap the rewards of winning. It is exciting to win but at the same time it can be so distracting. Success so many times takes us away from what matters most. It seems to distract us from the process that brought success in the first place. The question is how do we handle the good times? Jesus taught the way of humility. He also warned about the dangers of making success a god (idol) in our lives. Money, influence, numbers, profit all beg us to worship them and not the maker, God. Jesus understood the danger success could bring. Just some thoughts about success…
Success tempts us to stop working on it /// yes, it calls us to rest in the past. It begs us to protect what has been done. I calls us to be prideful in the success itself. There is the danger to think our way is the best way and stop learning, looking and listening to others. The answer is to never stop working on it. Success gives us the chance to dream new dreams, improve, and get better.
Success makes us CHANGE RESISTANCE /// so many times success leads us to not take risks! “If it aint broke don’t fix” it leads so many times to not risk when risk is needed. It is alomost like we want to wall up what has been done and protect it. Success should be the launching point to chang what need to be changed to continue to move forward.
Success can divert us from our mission /// so many times success distracts gives us false confidences that we are good at everything so we try to do everything. So many times we start trying to be good at things we are not good at because of past success. Success should enable us to continue to focus and get better at what we do the best. We get to focus on what we do best not diversify to the point of distracton.
Success lures us to be prideful /// does this need to b explained? We all know it and we all have to srtive to look, act , think, and live like Jesus. Apart from Him we can not live the life of humility we are called to. Success is not the enemy as long as it does not feul selfish pride!
I for sure do not have this idea figured out? Because I am driven, I strive for success in everything I do. I never want to fall into these traps but I find myself in them so man times. What keeps you on track? What traps have you seen with success?