Most of us have inherited a definition of success.
We may not have written it down, but it still shapes us.
Success can start to mean being noticed. Being productive. Being respected. Having enough money. Having the right opportunities. Growing the thing we are building. Keeping everyone happy. Avoiding failure.
Even in Christian life and ministry, we can quietly begin measuring success by numbers, approval, growth, influence, or visible results.
But what happens to our hearts when those things shift?
What happens when the numbers go down, the opportunity closes, the relationship breaks, the health concern rises, the plans change, or the applause stops?
A Christian Measuring Stick for Success
In chapter 11 of inSPIRE®–Faith for a “Whole” Life, I explore the movement from failure to success as part of the emotional dimension of the inSPIRE® journey. One of the key ideas is that our emotional wholeness is deeply affected by how we define success and failure.
If success depends on outer metrics, our inner life will always be unstable.
We will rise and fall with circumstances.
We will feel worthy when things go well and ashamed when they do not.
We will compare ourselves to others, measure our lives by visible outcomes, and quietly wonder if we are failing when life is harder, smaller, slower, or less impressive than we hoped.
Jesus gives us a different measuring stick.
When asked about the greatest commandment, he pointed us back to love: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:29-31).
That is not a small definition of success. It is not an easy one either. It may conflict with your inherited definition of success.
It reaches into every part of life: our Spiritual—Physical—Intellectual—Relational—Emotional selves. It asks not only what we accomplished, but who we are becoming. It asks whether our lives are being formed by the love of Christ.
This changes the question.
The Wrong Questions
Instead of asking, “Am I impressive enough?” we begin by asking, “Am I loving God here?”
Instead of asking, “Do people think I am succeeding?” we ask, “Am I loving others faithfully?”
Instead of letting failure name us, we remember that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.
That does not mean outcomes do not matter. It does not mean we should ignore wise planning, stewardship, or responsibility. But it does mean that metrics must never become our master.
Whole-Life Discipleship
A life can look small and still be faithful.
A season can feel hard and still be holy.
A person can be overlooked by others and deeply known by God.
This is part of whole-life discipleship. We learn to bring even our definitions of failure and success under the loving guidance of Jesus.
Emotional Wholeness
Perhaps this is a good week to ask: what measuring stick have I been using?
Where have I allowed comparison, pressure, or disappointment to define me?
And what would it look like today to make loving God and loving people my truest goal?
Going Deeper
The inSPIRE® journey invites us to examine these questions honestly and hopefully. Because emotional wholeness is not found in a life free from setbacks. It is found as we learn to turn to God, carry on in faith, and love well in the life we have actually been given.
I explore this more fully in chapter 11 of inSPIRE®–Faith for a “Whole” Life, where we consider what it means to move from failure to success through the lens of emotional wholeness and whole-life discipleship.
You can read the book personally, but these truths often take deeper root when we consider them with others. Free discussion questions are available here on the inSPIRE Ministries website to help individuals and small groups reflect honestly, care for the soul, and make space for a deeper encounter with God.
That is success worth pursuing.
4 Responses
So good to keep perspective, and know that God’s version of success is the best!! It impacts all areas of our lives. Loving God and others!! Let’s be willing to learn and make changes in life to live with God’s success in mind and actions.
Yes, I’m believing God’s perspective is for our communal and individual good – keeping us grounded as we journey through the ups and downs of our lives!
This is such a difficult and yet freeing truth. Difficult because I find myself caught up in achieving, keeping up and getting credit to determine worth at times. Freeing because God has a MUCH better measuring stick than the world offers. Grateful for the times the Holy Spirit nudges me to adjust my perspective away from what the world says back to His truth.
I do struggle with defaulting to these truths, even though I believe in them. It seems that every cultural message speaks to a worth that is measured by performance of some kind, rather than love.