It's chancy putting so much on a blog, but I feel it's worth it for you to read this 2001 Baccalaureate speech for Houghton Academy from Terence Paige, Associate Professor of New Testament at Houghton College, Houghton, NY. I was so impressed by his focus that I asked him afterward for a copy.
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense.” (2 Cor. 10:12)
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another (Romans 12:3-5).
On the eve of your graduating and going off to make your own way in the world, I want to pause and think about success. For most of us want success, and if you’ve learned anything here at the Academy, you’ve learned that (a) you need to know what the assignment is; and (b) you have to plan to do it. But I also want to talk especially to the “second-bests” in the audience, about being second best for God. Yes, you heard me correctly: second best.
Statistically speaking, most of us will be second best (or third or fourth) in life. By definition, there are few “bests.” Statistically, the majority of sports teams do not win the championship. Only one student can be Valedictorian. Most of us will never make the top ten list in any magazine of the best dressed or most beautiful people. Probably none of us here will be famous. Few will be rich.
What does this have to do with Baccalaureate and graduation? What does this have to do with an hour in which we contemplate God’s will for our lives? The answer to both is, everything. For God’s will cannot be a will for the perfect only, a will for the best only, a will for the successes only, else it would be a cruel joke.
No, the God who is Lord of all is also Lord of the mediocre; Lord of the ordinary; Lord of losers. Not only that; He is Lord of the blessings of the ordinary; God of the glory of the plain. It must be so; else, there would be few followers indeed, and God himself would have ordained a scarcity in worshippers. But Scripture tells us, and reason echoes, that the Creator wishes to embrace all people; that his blessings are for as many as believe. He does not merely call those who are (or will be) the greatest in their field. He does not only call the “successful”—at least, not success as we usually measure it.
All of you will face disappointments of various sorts in the years to come. It may be disappointments about college, about work, about love, or churches, or health, or just your own abilities. It is not pleasant, but true. Part of the disappointment comes from circumstances you cannot control. But part of it comes from how you face those circumstances, and how you evaluate yourself.
When we look around us and compare ourselves to people we see in the media, or read about in books, we may often be tempted to become jealous, dissatisfied with our looks, our clothes, our houses, cars, physical strength and athletic ability, or our intelligence. Perhaps even compared to others in this school you may fear “you are the weakest link.” We want to be “the best” but we despise ourselves or our condition because second best, just ordinary is not good enough.
The irony is that being obsessed with success, with being “the best,” can ruin your life and prevent you from enjoying whom God has made you and what you do have. However, I have something to tell you tonight that will make your life more fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful. And it is about what kind of “success” God requires of us.
To tell you this truth, we have to begin by noticing something about Jesus’ teaching that may surprise you: Jesus never asks anyone to succeed. In fact, the noun “success” is not found in the NT. Study the gospels as much as you want, you will never find Jesus commanding or demanding that anyone be successful. He may make requests that they do this, say that, go here or there, or proclaim the gospel, but he does not order them to succeed. In fact, his instructions include explicit directions for what to do when you fail (e.g., “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.” Mt. 10:14). Jesus anticipated that there would be disappointments.
What was it then that Jesus demanded of his followers? To be faithful. To believe in God; to follow and believe in him (Jesus); to not give up, no matter what. In one parable meant to illustrate the point that “the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour”, Jesus spoke of a master who left on a long trip and comes back unexpectedly. “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives,” Jesus says (Mt. 24:45-46). Doing what the master expected. But success? That is up to God. Some of our Academy students were called home to meet Jesus this year at an unexpected hour. They did not realize they would be meeting him so soon—nor did we. Do you think when they meet Jesus they will be judged on their success? Their grade average? Or on their faith?
If you can get this into your head now, at the start of your life, and if you are determined to be faithful to God, you will be blessed indeed. This is a goal you can achieve. This is a goal that does not depend on someone else losing; or on your being “the best” at whatever you do. This is a goal that everyone in this room can achieve, and as you live in faith you will help others also to find faith and to find life in God. And those who find life in God have found a new existence that lasts forever. How’s that for success?
Desire for success can backfire: it can breed disappointment, bitterness, hatred of others, jealousy of others who succeed where we do not. Such feelings will poison your life, and make you blind to the blessings that God has given you now. Obsession with success, and failure to be happy with being lesser or just plain ordinary, may in fact be a symptom of a deadly spiritual pride. The author of Genesis tells us that our first parents gave up paradise because they begrudged God for what he had not given them. They had land, companionship and a family, God to visit them, all the free food they could eat, a pleasant climate, and no dress code! They threw it all away. Why? They were tempted to want one thing more, and to despise what God had already given them because of the one thing more that they did not have.
It has been said that gratitude is the beginning of worship. You could also say that lack of gratitude to God, which usually goes along with lack of faith, is the beginning of sin.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not telling you not to try, not to dream. You should. I am not encouraging you to be lazy, for sloth is a sin. You should continue to do your best work, put forth your best effort. There is every reason for Christians to strive for excellence in their work, whatever it be. What I am saying is this: be the best person you are, in faith. Live every day with God, in faith; doing whatever you do in faith—whether or not it is the best compared to others; and whether or not it is your “first wish.” Live up to your best wherever God has placed you, whether or not you think that is “successful”. And if the best you are is just average—then live that average in faith. In this way, you will be a blessing to others. You will make a garden among the weeds of this world. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about some conceited false teachers that, “When they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense” (2 Cor. 10:12). Neither do we when we measure our “success” simply by comparing our performance to others.
In the scripture I read at the beginning, Paul reminds the church at Rome that we are all like the various parts of the body. We are different. We are also necessary to each other. God loves each of you and wants each of you to do your individual part in the work of God in the world. We are not to think too highly of ourselves (not to think we are indispensable, or absolutely “the best”); but neither are we to think too little of ourselves! Minor body parts are still body parts. You are still important to God, however small your abilities are.
After all, when you think about it most of the work in this world is done by average people. Most families are led by average people, with average children. “Average” does not mean “worthless” or “bad.” Get that notion out of your head. Most Christian work is done by average people—often talented, yes; but not the very best at what they do, not famous. There is honor in being God’s people and being faithful, whether or not you get any recognition in this life.
Tomorrow: "How DOES Jesus Define Success?" A great answer for our day. Don't miss it!
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