This morning at church, we had a sermon on success and where we search for identity. I already know, from being an athlete all my life, that this is something I struggle with. I, along with many others, am someone who sees myself finding their identity in wins and accomplishments. If you were to ask me who I am, most likely my answer would be, “well, I am a volleyball player for NSU…” followed by me probably sparking a conversation about our recent success and the joy I have found through it all. I am, now, finally realizing that there is a bigger issue in this identification. I am not identified by volleyball and I am not just a volleyball player, a college student, or a sorority girl… My identity is in Christ and I am His child and follower. Me searching for success and thriving off of accomplishments is nothing but idolatry… idolizing myself. Why do we as humans strive for success? Is it for survival, attention, awards, fear that we will be an outsider if we are unsuccessful..? Us humans can get so caught up in the idea of success that our whole view of life can be shaped by achievements.
We were asked in church questions like, “Do you ever find yourself doing a good deed or some great thing to try and get to God? Do you ever find yourself praying to God that you trust in His plan for you but you just wish He would hurry up and give you answers?” The more I think about these questions the more times I can recall myself doing it! We have to remember that God is not a God that can be controlled and He can not be “earned”. God is a God of grace for everyone! Grace is God doing for us what we could never do and what we will never deserve. This earth used to be dead in sin. But God sent His only Son to take our pain, endure our sin, and die on a cross all in love. That is worthy to be worshiped. Not our success.
“No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us. He has given to us from His Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God- God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; for we are as He is in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:12-19
God loves us so much that he literally saved us from our sin. He gives us salvation so we can be washed CLEAN of sin, not so we can see SUCCESS. This makes me think back to when I was truly saved. My thoughts revolved around myself and my success through salvation…. I was getting my life together. I was turning to God instead of a party life or alcohol. I was becoming successful in areas of my life that I was not successful in before. I was building confidence and thriving off of this “success”. It was almost like I was taking the credit for the changes I was making. No… It took a while for me to realize it, but it was not my doing at all. It was only by the grace of God that I was saved, that my life turned around, that my actions started to reflect the person He wanted me to be. Once again, it was God doing for me what I never could have done on my own and what I could never deserve. He saw me dead in sin and He blessed me with the time, patience, and chance to turn it all around. This “success story” of my life was not written by me, but by God.
So when you are feeling the joy of glory and in the spotlight of fame or fortune… remember, satisfaction from success will always fade and all glory to God!
