God brought a woman and a man to me. One in England, another farthest
away in the biggest country in the world. Both connected to me through cyberspace.
Both had the same message! Both are victors. Not were or will be, could-be or
would-be, but are… for who they are.
Why is this? They just inspired me in God beyond anything I
could conceive. They lifted me without me even feeling like I needed it.
These two, though they know nothing of each other, have endured
or do endure such brokenness and adversity, that to sit in their presence is to
be lifted. They, in their own ways, though they’re extraordinary sinners as we
all are, embody the Presence of the risen Lord Jesus.
These two reframe every idea of success. They show me, as many I’ve
seen have also shown me, that there is no success in comfort, in material wealth,
in prospering health, in appearing to have it all together. There’s no success
in that.
There’s only success in overcoming, one minute, one brick, one
gritted smile, one step, one surrender at a time. That’s success. That’s the victory.
The victory over self, even though self wins still so often.
It’s the idea that we strive to overcome what has not yet beaten
us, though it may beat us again. It’s the concept that we refuse to fail, even
if there’s a litany of failure in our past. It’s that we’ve bounced back. It’s
the smile emblazoned over our face as we stare the enemy down.
As we draw close to the One who can instil us with what we need
to get up off the canvas of life’s calamity, even in our mind’s eye our heart
is nourished by the sense that we’ve won!
You will succeed. You cannot fail. Oh, you will fail. But it’s
in failing that you qualify to actually succeed. It’s God’s riveting paradox
that calls the fool up to show the wise who’s truly wise. The one who knows
they’re wise is the real fool. Who in their right mind would go there?
When it’s us, the ones that have nothing special to show our
covetous world — that world that scorns us savagely for being broken and for having
nothing worth admiring — we wonder, “What on earth are you doing, God? How on
earth can You be for us like You are?! But You are!”
In being nothing special, we’re never more special. To the One
who sees everyone’s special, those who are satisfied just being who they are, are
special to the accord of success in God’s eyes.
There is and never was any other way of describing success. There
is eternal success or no success at all.
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