Filled with Faith

"God has not called me to be successful, He called me to be faithful." Mother Teresa. What a profound thought for us to apply to our lives today. The drive for success is splattered across our day to day comings and goings. It used to be that "Keeping up with the Jones'" was the challenge, but today with the ultra immediate lure of social media and other modes of communication, the bar of success floats higher at what appears to be a daily pace. For others it is a promotion on the job, that corner office with a view. Success may even be measured through winning a title, an election, or a sporting championship. It is safe to say that in today's culture success is found in a wide variety of man-made, earthly means. So how does Mother Teresa's statement of faith fit into this equation? Well, short answer, it doesn't. 

In a faith based worldview success is not the elusive goal that so many are chasing, it is an understanding that even though it may appear that we have failed or that we are not successful in a materialistic view, that has no true bearing on what God's plan for each of our lives was planned to be. If falling flat on my face is part of God's plan, then it is my job to get back up on my feet and then keep striving to fulfill God's plan for the life He gave me to live. If you never receive that promotion at work, does that mean you were not successful in life or does it mean that God has a different plan in mind and we must decide to be faithful and continue climbing the mountain in front of us regardless of how many times we tumble to the base. Being faithful requires one thing: faith. That may sound redundant, but at times our faith is based more on what we can see, instead of what we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 explains "... faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  So it is, when the world wants to label you a failure, falling short of success, God is telling you to remain strong in faith and keep moving forward. He has a plan. 

The message of being faithful that Mother Teresa conveyed, brings to mind a parable that Jesus shared about the talents and a master's servants found in Matthew 25:14-30. Briefly, a man who was planning on traveling, gave three of his servants differing amounts of "talents" or a type of monetary unit. While the man was away, one servant took five talents and doubled the amount entrusted to him. Another took two talents and increased that amount as well. The third servant feared being unsuccessful, so instead of taking a risk of losing his master's talent, he hid it so he would be able to safely give back what he had been given. The master was so impressed with the first two servants that he gave them what they had earned, but when the third servant reported that he safely secured the master's talent and had it to give back, the master was infuriated and took the one talent and gave it to the first servant. Was the last servant successful, obviously no? An even better question, was he faithful? Again the answer would be a resounding "No".

Looking at the decision of the third servant gives us an opportunity to apply Mother Teresa's mindset to our own lives. If the third servant had been faithful he would have invested the talent trusting that God would use that talent in the manner that it was meant to be used. Would there be a chance that he could have lost his investment and would have to report to his master that he had lost what he had been given? Most certainly, but at least he would have been giving it a try. Could the master have taken a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" attitude? Possibly. Could the master have gotten mad if the talent had been lost? Possibly. Could the servant have invested the talent and made more than the other two servants because of an optimal choice of his investment? Possibly. The idea to take away here is, regardless of the outcome, we are called to be faithful, trust and obey. 

Seek God daily, throughout each day. Meet with Him in the valleys of life, and sit with Him on the mountaintops of our joy! Your success will not be measured by the number of zeroes that follow a "1" in your bank account, nor will your success be measured by any other worldly accomplishment. The true measure of a person's life will be witnessed in the faithfulness carried out in the life we choose to live for our Lord and Savior. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. How will you measure the success ratio of what this day produces in your life? Will you evaluate your day on the outcomes that this world tells you matter, or will you trust in God's provision and seek to fulfill His will through faith and perseverance to God's plan for your life? Choose to be faithful, for just as the master in our parable said to the first two servants, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25:21. That is what I want to hear Jesus say to me! That is what true success will be!

Coach Carter