“Success isn’t winning or losing; it’s obeying.”

A thought by Mark Batterson (2016-09-06) from his book, Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small (Kindle Locations 1734-1735). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Our perspective on so many things is so different from God’s. Mark says, “God doesn’t promise us happily ever after. He promises so much more than that— happily forever after.” And the same is true of success.

Mark says, “It’s honoring God whether you’re in the red or the black. It’s praising God whether you win the election or lose it. It’s giving God the glory whether you’re in the win column or the loss column.”

He goes on, “Here’s my personal definition of success: when those who know you best respect you most. Success starts with those who are closest to you. At the end of the day, I want to be famous in my home. And by the way, it’s hard to be famous in your home if you’re never home. If you succeed at the wrong thing, you’ve failed. If you fail at the right thing, you’ve succeeded.”

Also, “Just as courage is not the absence of fear, success is not the absence of failure. Failure is a necessary step in every dream journey. I’ve written books that have been disappointments, and I’ve started businesses that have gone belly up. But in each instance I’ve tried to learn the lessons those failures are trying to teach me. Then I’ve mustered the courage to try, try, and try again. If you don’t try out, you’ll miss out. Then you’ll have to live the rest of your life wondering, What if? Don’t let the fear of failing keep you from trying.”

And he ends this section by saying, “God doesn’t always call us to win. Sometimes He just calls us to try. Either way, it’s obedience that glorifies God.”

He just calls us to try. It is obedience that glorifies God. God knew you needed to hear that today.

So how is it going?

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