THE TRUE MEASURE OF SUCCESS
As the world re-opens for travel, many naturally imagine how things can finally go back to the way they were. There is something ‘good’ about ‘the good old days’ even though this itself is a precarious premise. For believers, however, this is also a time for an important self-assessment: how have I lived differently for God in the past two years?
If COVID-19 had been a test for how you have been living out your life purpose as a Christian, how would you score yourself? To be sure, we all want to know that since the time COVID-19 disrupted all normalcy as we knew it before, we have become better connected with other humans, and at the same time, discovered ways to live and relate that no longer depend on what comes to us conveniently.
Look at what King Solomon - the man who had everything but asked God for only wisdom – said about his life: “I undertook great projects… I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me… I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces… I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; … I refused my heart no pleasure.” (Ecclesiastes 2:4-10). Notice the superlatives and grandiosity in his self-description.
To be sure, Solomon was a man who might have been compared to Elon Mask today in terms of his business acumen, achievements and assets. Yet, he also repeatedly described all his successes as a passing ‘vanity’ that is insubstantial and that life remains an enigma. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11).
His rhetoric points us to two questions about the true measure of success:
The first question concerns the measure of life: Whom do we fear?
To help us answer this question, we need to examine how our approach to life and what it reveals to us about our attitudes, behaviour and choices. What makes me anxious all the time? In what ways have I been tolerating a situation in my life that has remained unhealthy and unchanged for a long time?
At the end of Solomon’s reflection on the meaning of living with all his blessedness, he wrote: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” [Ecclesiastes 12:13] In essence, this mean that many things are achievable and reachable, but some things - like developing a healthy fear and honour of God - are indispensable for a truly fulfilling and meaningful life.
Whether it concerns an outcome around a job or a commercial opportunity, a difficult relationship, or our health, let us be courageous and first, take action for what really counts and what is our responsibility to do, then trust God to provide for what is lacking.
The second question concerns the measure of time: What do you value?
Today, we have apps for flight, train and bus arrivals, in-vehicle navigation systems showing us the time and distance to our destination, delivery apps that track real-time delivery progress and people sharing their ‘live’ locations so we know where they are and when they would be arriving. People want facts and accuracy fast! And the way to measure it is with time.
Solomon has a beautiful description of the value of time in our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 he wrote, “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Comparing time with eternity, we can say that time describes the definite duration of something whereas eternity refers to perpetuity or time without end. If we know today that we only have finite time with each other and infinity with God to whom we are all accountable, will we live and relate differently? Will we have a greater sense of urgency about this life to prepare for the conversations we will have with Him in eternity?
Clayton Christensen offered this thought about the true value of a human lifetime: ‘I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t dollars but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched. I think that’s the way it will work for us all. Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people.’
If there are only three things we can bring to heaven - the Word of God, human souls and ourselves - how differently will your heavenward travel baggage look?
Here’s a suggested checklist for self-reflection:
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 30 April 2022 with guest speaker, Kelvin Ng.
