Success

I had a fellow Twitter buddy (Brent Beshore) recently ask the question, “What’s your definition of ‘successful’?” I initially thought back to how I might have answered five years ago. Good paying job, big house, lots of money, working when I want, etc… were the things I used to consider the requirements for success. Right? Yeah, no. Did you catch that? These were the things that I thought I needed to be successful. We’ve all heard that “…he, who dies with the most toys, wins…” and the old adage of how dangerous materialism can be, so I won’t bore you with those again. We know this already. Then I thought, what about NOW? How would I define success NOW?

After growing up in a broken home with alcoholics as a mother and step-father, becoming a father myself at age 17 and again at 23, divorcing after nearly 11 years of marriage, and nearly losing my kids, I wondered, how on Earth could I ever be successful? Easy. I am a success, no doubt. My success is attributed to my relationship with Jesus Christ and continuing to grow closer to Him. With this, comes everything in life, on Earth and Eternity that you will ever dream of and then some. Sure, I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, was meritoriously promoted ahead of my peers multiple times, earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in less than four years at the top of my class while working full-time, had all the fancy toys, i.e. big hot-rod motorcycle, fast boat, 4×4 truck, hunting cabin. You name it, I had it. But what I didn’t have, was the miracle of unconditional grace, love, and peace that only He could show me. I found myself achieving these big accomplishments and buying all these things only to fill a void. A void that would never be filled; not without my Savior that is. I was quickly going down the path of destruction.

On November 11, 2009, my life changed. I publicly confessed my sins and announced my crossing the line of faith at Woodcrest. Since then, I have married my guardian angel, Kerri Roberts, won back the hearts of my children, and have begun the real journey, the only journey that matters. The journey of preparing for Eternity, focusing on Christ, my relationship with him, and helping others do the same. Since then, my accomplishments have continued to happen, but I know that they only happen because of Him. My relationship with Christ helps me with my outlook on life, how small we really are, how insignificant our problems can be, and how selfish we are to stress at all. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Being able to lie down before I rest each night and feel confident that I’ve made an effort to strengthen my relationship with Christ is my definition of success. What’s yours?