It might be a western expectation of how life should go, but here are a few basic requirements to live a successful life.
As long as you emerge healthily. As long as you grow in a helathy way. As long as you attend and blend in well at school. As long as you get good grades in your key subjects. As long as you end up in a job that pays very well with good prospects for promotion. as long as you find someone who can help you be happy. as long as you make progress up the career ladder to better and better paid jobs that allows you to gain those essential basic material goods of a home, a car, regular vacations and modcons that makes life entertaining. As long as you have children who emerge healthily. As long as you can ake a home for them to grow up in a healthy way. As long as you have enough put away for retirement. As long as you remain relatively healthy in your latter years. As long as you pass away without being too much of an inconvenience and burden to those who might have to look after you.
Life is successful as long as you can fulfil those requirements.
Maybe.
Or maybe there’s an alternative.
Maybe it’s not about what the world informs you. Maybe those grades, that job, that money, that neat family set-up isn’t a measure of success at all.
Maybe there’s a definition of life that connects with the will of the Creator that makes a difference to the world by being faithfully obedient in dong what’s right in the sight of the Creator. Making a difference in how the love that is shared to others reflects a righteousn and redeeming quality that comes from the heart of a holy God.
Maybe there’s a definition of success that recognises the reality of brokenness, sickness, disease and depression. Not just recognises it, but learns how to work through and overcome through faith in the One who defeated death, disease and the devil.
Maybe there is a way to live that comes alongside those who are poor and opporessed, those who have no voice in society, those who are marginalised and living with those in these conditions to seek for life to have meaning for them in their context.
Maybe it’s not about the state of the bank balance or the property portfolio or the retirement fund. Maybe it’s not about how many people have read your profile or watched videos about your renown.
Maybe there’s something to discovering what good news there is to experience that transforms you to becoming a member of the family of God, a minister of the Lord, a messenger of the good news of Jesus and missionary ever representing and displaying the Kingdom of God.
Maybe it is about the seeds of peace you sowed in living to make peace because of the Prince of Peace you commit your life to following.
Maybe.
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For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 