What is Success?

I can't count how many times I have heard so-called motivational speakers, presenters and celebrities talk about what they have accomplished and achieved in this life, counseling others on how they, too, can have the good things in life if they would just believe in themselves. To the world, success is that big house, that expensive car, that six-figure job or prestigious position. To some, success is being able to travel wherever and whenever they please, to marry that "perfect" spouse and have those "perfect" children. They feel accomplished when they get that degree or that promotion, when they climb that corporate ladder.
Many look on these achievements with pride - with pride in themselves for what they have done.

Now, to others, success is being able to pay their bills, put food on the table and still have a little money to tuck away in savings. Or raising children who grow up to be productive people in society and understand that they must work for what they want in life. Or being able to have children, period.
For some, success is just being able to get out of bed each morning and put one foot in front of the other to get through the day. For others it is successfully making it through another day without giving in to that alcoholic drink, that drug, that cigarette, that urge to self-mutilate, or allow themselves to sink into despair and doubt of self-worth (once upon a time I related to those things well.) Success mean many things to many people. For this latter group, the pride may be of a different kind, but it is still there.

Regardless of which group we fall into, no matter the importance of these achievements, and despite what the world would have us believe, we do nothing on our own. Any and everything that is good in our lives comes from God.

Sadly, material things have become more important than God, the One who gave us life, the One who gave us all. Also sadly, the only time many of us remember to call upon Him is in times of despair. When all is right in our own little worlds, we forget Him when we should be praising and thanking Him all day every day for all we have been given. He gives us so much and asks for so little.
And this weekend, we will celebrate His greatest gift to us: the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
I pray that we will all look upon each day as a blessing, and give gratitude to our Father in Heaven for successes, both big and small, because we accomplish nothing that is truly good in this life on our own. I also pray that we can remember that nothing we could ever accomplish or gain in this life will ever be more important than what we will accomplish and gain eternally if we will but put the Lord first and remember the source from which our blessings flow.