Jen’s Gem: It’s time to rethink what success means.

Yesterday I celebrated a milestone birthday. The festivities included delicious meals with loved ones, thoughtful gifts, and touching words in cards, texts, and social media messages. By the end of the day, my heart (and belly!) were full to overflowing!

As I pondered the past 365 days, I realized how incredibly blessed I am at this juncture of my life. Interestingly, it is a far cry from my previous (and sadly, shallow) definition of success. In years past, fancy titles, accolades, and fat paychecks were the epitome of a life well lived.

What happened?

How did I go from relishing letters after my name to relishing the words of loved ones and more importantly, God’s words? Pretty simple actually.

You see, the letters after my name were just a description of what I did for a living, not who I was. And the people who bestowed these titles did not care about me, they just cared about the work I did.

Pretty one dimensional, wouldn’t you say?

When you think of people in this way, it limits them and their potential. I reveled in the accolades I received at my yearly performance reviews. Yet, these were only the 9 to 5 Jennifer. They spoke nothing of the after-hours Jennifer. Managers only saw a piece of me. Their words, while glowing did not describe me in my totality; they were just what they saw in the office.

Back in the days of Jesus, this is how many people viewed Him. Teacher. Carpenter’s son. Prophet. Sounds like the makings of a typical business card. Yet, He was (and is) so much more than this, but people missed it. 

By viewing Jesus one dimensionally, many missed their healing. Many missed life transformations. They closed their eyes to all Jesus was (and is) because they got stuck in His job titles. They got stuck in His 9 to 5 instead of looking at and considering his 5 to 9.

Matthew 16:13-17 (NKJV) describes this perfectly. In the passage, Jesus is asking His followers who people are saying He is:

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”  So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Do you see the 9 to 5 description of Jesus? They are describing Him by what He has done – baptizing and prophesying. One dimensional. 

Let’s look at the next verse, which notes Peter’s response to this telling question:

“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

Peter got it. Peter knew Jesus was more than what He did “for a living.” Peter knew who Jesus was (and is) – the Son of God. Because of this revelation, his life was transformed. He went from being a fishermen to the founder of the first church. He went from being the apostle who denied even knowing Jesus to affirming His existence to the world.

You see, when you know the whole Jesus, the real Jesus, things like job titles and accolades

 become less important. When you know the whole Jesus, your definition of success changes. The apostle Paul said it perfectly:

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8 NKJV)

My definition of success today is light years away from the one I ascribed to years ago. While I cherish every word from my loved ones on my birthday, the Words that I will hear from my Father in heaven at my final “performance review” are the ones that guide my path forward and that matter the most:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV)

That’s success my friend.