Success or Failure?

Several years ago I spoke to a Mennonite pastor about my lack of success in life. His response, though at first somewhat hard to take, was, "What's this talk about success? You're a failure to begin with."

Think about that for a moment. It is similar to something Charles Colson wrote, "All my life I labored for success, wealth, acceptance, and power. The more I obtained, the less I discovered I had. Surrendering everything in absolute brokenness, however, was the beginning of finding the identity and purpose for which I had battled so hard. In giving up my life to Christ, I had found it."

Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Of course we cannot crucify ourselves. The way to die to our self-life is to surrender everything to God--our lives, our careers, our health, our finances, our future--literally everything. This is not easy either; however, it is much easier when we obey Paul's words: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

The verse that follows the above verse tells us more about this process: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).

So failure is success in the Christian live and, in a sense, success (according to the world's standards) is failure. In this connection may I recommend that you read two of our Pure Gold Classics: Dark Night of the Soul by Saint John of the Cross and Madame Jeanne Guyon. Both works point us to death to self and union with God.