Life’s success

One morning, while my wife and I are at the hospital waiting for our doctor to call us, out of the blue, I pose this question to her “ Do you think you can consider yourself successful?”

She says:” Well, being a nurse, I ’m satisfied with my job despite the hardships of this kind of work and the fact that I’m also satisfied with my spiritual life, I know I’m successful”

“ I can go to sleep, without worrying so much. I ‘m content with my simple life. Success in life can only be possible if one has the spiritual, emotional and psychological, stability,” she says.

Well she’s right, she’s found joy and fulfilment in her spirituality and in working hard and in the words of King Solomon “I have come to know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good during one’s life and also that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12,13).

I‘ve e-mailed a friend in the Philippines and asked her the same question and she said “Successful? Yes, in a way...kasi being successful is not only about having a successful career and plenty of money...it's also when you get to see that you've raised your children well... and "spiritually" siguro because you're at peace with yourself and contented—I don't know if this is the right term) and you know God is always with you...and when you've learned His teachings, you can always look forward to a bright future.”

Yes, it’s true there is a link between success and spirituality because when a person pays attention to what God says, the Bible tells us “ Everything he does will succeed. (Psalm 1:3)

But why is it that having a successful and happy life has eluded many people?

Many of us could not find success and happiness in life as we have been using the wrong norms and standards in measuring success and gaining real happiness. The God’s Word warns of the danger of walking “ in the counsel of the wicked one.”(Psalms 1:1) And Satan is the “ wicked one” (Mat.6: 13) and he is also “the ruler of this world “and that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one”. John 16:11; 1 John 5:19)

And since Satan is the ruler of this world, he is the one influencing the minds of people, it is not surprising why most people are so engrossed in amassing wealth and seeking fame “ the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father but originates with the world.”

At Ecclesiastes 7:12, it says that “ Wisdom is for a protection the same as money is for a protection; but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom itself preserves alive its owners” So there’s nothing wrong with the money itself because we need money for our living specially if we have our family to support. (1Tim.5:8)

But what is wrong is the love for money, the Bible says “ For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains”. (1Tim. 6:10)

We cannot depend on these superficial and unstable riches since in the blink of an eye, everything will be gone. Look at what happened when the Typhoon Ondoy struck our country a few months ago: most of the material things—houses, cars, and other prized possessions that our kababayans had accumulated in their lifetime were destroyed in just few minutes

In this life, nothing is certain, nothing is secure, why-- when storms, earthquakes and other natural calamities hit us hard, then, all the material wealth we have accumulated through the years of handwork could easily go down the drain even without any warning. Even a serious illness is enough to cause the breakdown of our spirit.

As regards seeking  fame  and glory from the eyes of people whose lives are uncertain and short-lived,  it’s better that we make a good name before Jehovah God who said through his prophet Isaiah: “I will even give to them in my house and within my walls a monument and a name.... A name to time indefinite shall give them, one that will not be cut off” (Isa.56: 4,5) Because of their obedience to God, those acceptable to him will have “ a monument and a name”

Let’s all strive to do our very best to have a good name before our Creator and He will always remember our name to time indefinite.

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