Success. It's something our
culture thrives off of and lives for. It consumes many of us as we struggle
to achieve our vision of a successful life. It has become a necessity for
earning the respect and attention of colleagues and friends.
What does
success look like to you and how do you measure it? Is it reaching a goal or
milestone, becoming wealthy, achieving power, or becoming famous? Whatever it
is, it always involves forward motion, personal growth, and some measure of
independence or self-reliance. But what happens when we don’t see our version
of success?
I struggled
with feeling unsuccessful in my career when I took a part time job that had
nothing to do with my field. I felt like I wasn’t doing anything worthwhile
with my work, or achieving anything in my career. I wondered what God was
doing, but I didn’t feel like putting in the effort to find out. I just wanted
to get out of there as quickly as possible and find something that would feel
more fulfilling.
In church, I
spent most Sundays sulking in my seat, thinking about all the great things
people around me were doing while my life was at a standstill. Then one Sunday
there was a message on Joseph and my entire perspective changed. God completely
transformed my view of success through the life of Joseph (chronicled in
Genesis 37-50), teaching me that His definition of success is much different
than mine.
Work for the Lord
The first lesson that the life of Joseph taught me was to work for the Lord
wherever I am, no matter where that may be, no matter what I am doing. Regardless
of where Joseph was, he was constantly focused on honoring God and working for Him.
He spent time in slavery and in prison—places far worse than a frustrating
job—but didn’t let that detract him from the Lord’s work.
As followers
of Jesus, the Bible calls us to work as though we’re working for Him, not for
men, because we are ultimately serving Christ (Colossians 3:23-24). This sounds
simple, but it should affect every
aspect of what we do. This truth calls me to examine whether or not my work is
honoring to the Lord. Am I diligently and thoroughly completing each task in a
way that represents my love for Him? Or am I doing the minimum to simply get
the job done? Joseph challenges me to do more and be more for the Lord.
Don’t get distracted by circumstances
Sometimes the circumstances of our lives cause us to question where God is and
what He is doing. No doubt Joseph wondered this as he was being sold as a slave
to the Ishmaelites by his brothers. Or when Potiphar’s wife lied about him
attempting to rape her, which got him thrown into prison. Or when his fellow
prisoner, the chief cupbearer, forgot about him when he was restored to his
post by Pharaoh. But when we look at Joseph’s life as a whole, God allows us to
see how he was working through each circumstance to bring about his divine
plan.
In the midst
of a challenging circumstance, it’s difficult or even impossible to see the big
picture. At times God gives us a glimpse into what He is doing and how He is
working, but even when He doesn’t, we can know for certain that He is working (Romans 8:28). Difficult
circumstances are an exercise in trust and obedience as we make ourselves
available for the Lord’s work and watch to see where He will move.
Don’t worry about direction
When I look at the
life of Joseph, I see that God’s way of working doesn’t always make sense and
sometimes feels backward. Instead of building from a slave to free man to a
leader, Joseph went from being a slave to a prisoner and then to a leader.
Going from a slave to a prisoner sounds like a backward move and I’m sure at
the time it felt like things were going from bad to worse. Where’s the success
in becoming a prisoner? But God used this as a critical step to get Joseph
where He ultimately wanted him, in Pharaoh’s court.
When I went
from having a great full-time job in my career field to that part time job, it
absolutely felt like a backward move. The forward momentum of my career
suddenly stopped and I felt like I lost all that I had gained. It was important
for me to learn that a “backward” move didn’t really mean anything to the whole
picture of my life because God was using it to put me where He wanted me. This
was a step in a direction that only He knew and I needed to trust Him in it.
God is always with you
This is the greatest, most amazing truth for followers of Jesus: the God of the
universe is with us (Matthew 28:20)!
And God was with Joseph, as Genesis 39 states multiple times (verses 2, 21 and
23). We, like Joseph, never have to face the challenges of life alone. We have
a constant source of strength, help and guidance throughout our lives. And this
brings me to my next lesson from Joseph.
Success is from the Lord
Not only does the account of Joseph’s life make it clear that God was with him,
but it also clearly states that the Lord gave him the success he experienced
(Genesis 39:2, 23). This is a convicting reminder for my selfish pride; when I
think I am successful, I’m not. Only the Lord can generate success and He
grants it to whomever He wills whenever He wants.
This should
cause us to question, the next time I am praised for a job well done, to whom
do I credit my success? Do I build myself up or do I give credit to the only
Reason for my achievement? It’s important to mentally make the shift from
thinking of success from a me-centric view to a God-centric view as He is the
one deserving of all glory and praise.
Learn God’s definition of success
Finally, and most importantly, we need to adopt God’s definition of success,
which is extremely counter-cultural. He isn’t looking for His followers to get
rich quick or achieve fame status, though at times He does grant those things
and more. His definition of success results in the saving of lives.
In Joseph’s
story, God used all the circumstances—good and bad—to bring about His ultimate
plan to save His people from seven years of famine (Genesis 41-47). In our
story, God wants to use us to save lives not just temporarily, but eternally.
He moves us, through our circumstances, to lost and hurting people, in
desperate need of salvation. Our job is to look for and take advantage of those
opportunities, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).
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