Stewardship

Throughout my 20’s, the most common, (and to be honest overused) word I have heard is “success.”

But what does success actually mean? The most common definition is “the accomplishment of an aim of purpose.” But lurking right behind is a second definition that haunts us all…and we spend our entire lives chasing it: “the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status.”  

How do we know if we’re achieving it? 

It makes us compare. It makes us envy. 

It’s scary because it’s illusive. Sometimes we don’t even know if we’re achieving it. It comes in different shapes and sizes: early success, late success, delayed success, fast success, slow success. 

It’s got a salary attached. It’s all about what it can buy. Fully loaded with awards and recognition.  

We live in a world of “30 under 30’s.” The rest of us are mere mortals that are losing the race to six and seven figure salaries and the nice “things” we wish we had. 

It can be extremely stressful with tons of anxiety. Instagram or Tik Tok will tell you all about it. Click here for the best and fastest “hack” to reach this or that. My friend Greg Fahey is the associate head coach for Hampton University. He often asks “Luke, what are the hills you are willing to die on?” 

And for me, that right there is one of them. I refuse to define myself or assign some inflated value to myself based on a social media post. 

Not only can it get in the way of you being your full, authentic self but it can quickly convince you to start believing things about yourself that aren’t true. 

Social media and that illusive drive for success, is pushing us to chase things with our head down, full steam. Not only are we forgetting who we are, but we can forget who God is as well. We can doom scroll our way into forgetting what really is important and what we were put on this earth to do. 

So, what really is success, then, and how do I become my best version of myself? 

I still haven’t fully cracked the code myself. But here’s what I do know. Thinking that greatness is about success and accolades, and about reaching an artificially created “pinnacle,” is probably the least fulfilling feeling in this world. 

While I’m grateful for every goal I’ve attained or achievement reached, the good feelings derived from those experiences have always been fleeting, soon gone and leaving me searching for “the next thing…and the next thing…and the next thing.” An exhausting cycle. 

What might God say about all of this? What might his definition of “success” be? As I begin to acquaint myself with scripture, I found it ironic that the term “success” is hardly mentioned. 

Another word is though. 

“Stewardship.”

What it is that you do with your God-given skills, talent, and time. 

When you come to realize how this approach will impact your life and the lives of others—you start to activate your God-given potential, directly in line with your God-given purpose. 

And when you start fulfilling your God-given potential and God-given purpose, you start to realize God-sized dreams. 

Seems pretty awesome, doesn’t it? But something even more amazing happens. When you do and accomplish great things in service of others, people notice. They watch how you live your life, whether you realize it or not. Not only do you start experiencing these break-throughs that you’ve been longing for and praying for yourself. But the people who have been watching a from afar get the courage to believe what you have is possible for themselves. And when they see you accomplishing your dreams, their internal fire to chase their own purpose of ignites. 

That contagious spirit and energy unlocks that same potential for themselves that you unlocked for yourself. Courage is contagious, willingness to fail and get up is inspiring, and unwavering faith is empowering. 

So much so that the only thing greater than realizing your own God-given potential and dreams is helping someone else realize and reach theirs. Your current battle is not just a personal battle. It’s a testimony in progress, and those that are fortunate to bear witness to your experience will leverage your resiliency as a stepping-stone to realize their own. 

I understand why people struggle so much with “life purpose,” and mine is still a work in progress, but I’ve learned that I won’t get there by focusing inward on myself. Matthew 18:4 says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” It’s not about job title, salary, or Instagram likes. Real greatness lies in humility. And not the humility that means you think less of how great you can be but rather how your greatness can make others around you great as well. 

Next time you’re in a situation where you may have to compromise your character, scared to be embarrassed, or have a fear of failing, remember someone is measuring their potential to your ability and courage to endure and overcome adversity. And their faith in the Lord to your trust in the Lord, your next move, next accomplishment, next answered prayer could be the reason why someone starts to not only see what’s possible for themselves, but believe what’s possible for themselves. 

Written by: Luke St. Lifer