Success Sucks

"They got the dream I prayed for and I didn’t, so clearly that means that my dream is over."
"They got that promotion and I didn’t, so I’ll put them down because I obviously deserved it more."
"They got the good news and I got the bad, so that must mean God listened to their prayers and ignored mine."

Any of that sound a little familiar? If we’re honest, we can all view life a little bit like a competition.

The world places so much emphasis on doing better and being more than someone else that we can get lost in all of the striving. The striving to achieve success first. The striving to make our dreams bigger and better than theirs.

And in the midst of all this striving, we miss what really matters.

We have to realize that life isn’t a competition at all. Life is a journey that we’re walking with each other, not against each other.

Why do we get so hurt when someone else achieves what we hoped for? I think maybe it's because we let success define us.

Have you ever been rejected for something you worked really hard for? Have you ever fought for a dream, only for it to never be within your reach? Sometimes we can allow that to define us as a failure.

But our worth is not defined by our success. Our success and achievements do not define who we are. Our worth is not measured by how much we achieve in life. Our worth is measured in Whose we are. As children of God, we are completely loved by God (1 John 3:1) – with or without any form of success.

Perhaps worse than just not achieving your own dreams, have you ever watched someone else achieve the same dream you prayed so hard for? Doesn't that just feel so unfair?

But let’s set something straight: Someone else’s success does not have the power to interrupt God’s plan for your life. Their success does not affect your success. There is not a limited amount of success to go around. Just because they succeeded does not mean that you won’t succeed too.

And if I may be so bold as to say, if you’re feeling like their success overshadows yours, perhaps that's a red flag to look at your motive for success. Romans 12:10 in the Message says "practice playing second fiddle." The greater purpose of our success is to add to the symphony of what God is doing across the globe. So when the spotlight is on someone else, we don't stop playing. Even hidden in the dark, we play to glorify our King.

A few verses later in Romans 12, we're called to rejoice in the success of others. It tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

We’re all doing life together. We’re all figuring this out together. And fighting against one another or turning everything into a competition is not going to display Jesus well and it's not going to help our dream at all.

When someone achieves an important success, we should be the first to rejoice with them! Celebrate with them. Show them that you care and love and support them.

Trust me, I don't say this lightly. I know it can be hard to watch your dream stay stuck in the mud while someone else merrily lives out what you’re praying for. But jealousy isn’t going to hurry your dream along any faster.

If it’s in God’s plan for your life, your success will come. Nothing in this world can stop God’s plan for you.

So in the meantime, keep serving and loving how he would have you serve and love.

Take heart and wait for the Lord. Your time is coming too.