What is Success?

What is your definition of 'success'? Do you know any 'successful' people who inspire you?

My definition of success has changed a lot in recent years. I used to think that being rich and famous - or just rich - meant success. When I looked at the big picture, though - where we're going in life and what our purpose is, that all changed. Wealth is no longer the goal (yeah, it would be nice to have a ton of money!) But after reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, I realized that we are here for a purpose and only as a stopping off place to eternity. Success (in my mind) is now measured by my relationship to our Creator. How much money I have now won't matter a hundred years from now. How I use the gifts He has given me is the most important thing. Everything we own belongs to God anyway - we are just stewards of it.

The most successful person I know would probably be my uncle. He is pretty "well off" in most people's opinion - he's wealthy, owns a prospering business, has a nice house, drives new cars, buys whatever he wants when he wants it, but the thing that strikes me the most is how giving he is. I've seen him hand money to a total stranger in need. He's almost like a predator on the prowl to find a needy person - always ready to share his wealth with others. And God blesses Him. God's been dealing with us lately about giving. It's easy to sit back with a tight fist and say, "But God, I NEED all my money!" What we didn't realize, though, is that we are required to tithe, but He blesses the gifts - what we give beyond our tithe.

My husband was laid off recently and we were struggling. We had bills due (big ones) and the unemployment check was still over a week away. I felt like we needed to give some money to some friends of ours. I didn't even know if they had a need. That Sunday in church, when my husband asked them how they were doing, the first thing he said was "we're having a hard time trying to make ends meet". We gave them the money and that week, the money we needed to pay our bills came in the mail from an unexpected source. We serve a BIG God and He cares about our needs. His eye is on the sparrow - and I know He watches me...