The terms “success” and “failure” are goal-oriented terms. When a person sets a goal and accomplishes it, we say they “succeeded.” On the other hand, when a person sets a goal but does not fulfill it, we say they “failed.”
Make no mistake about it – I love the idea of people, especially Christians, setting definite goals in life and accomplishing them. In Daniel 1:8, I am told that Daniel “purposed in his heart.” Daniel accomplished something on purpose. The only way for a Christian to live an abundant Christian life is to plan on it! Set out to do it on purpose. A thriving prayer life that acquires answers from God will never happen accidentally. You will not meander into a deeper study of God's word. Soul winning will not happen by chance. The romantic fires of marriage will not ignite on their own. All of this should be purposely striven for, and goals should be set to see that they happen.
One of the greatest disappointments in life occurs when a goal is set but not met. Nothing sucks the life out of an individual like failure to meet a goal. However frustrating this may be, failure is not the worst outcome that can possibly happen. There is something worse than failing to accomplish a goal. To identify this fate that is worse than failure, listen carefully to William Carey, the father of modern missions:
“I'm not afraid of failure; I'm afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.”
You may or may not realize it, but the above quote is likely the best on the subjects of success or failure you will most likely ever read (and I've read many of them). As a pastor, it literally breaks my heart to watch young people set goals that do not mount to anything, and then put forth all of their energy into acquiring them. It is truly sad to watch a young preacher who has a wife and children spend every waking moment at the gym, away from his family, because it is his goal to bench press 800 pounds by the end of the year. It is equally sad to watch a young woman completely preoccupied, not with her family, but rather with her body, because it is her goal to look skinnier than a super model. How about a young man who spends hours upon hours, sleepless night after sleepless night, trying to accomplish the goal of beating a particular video game? Or what about a man who never sees his family because his goal is to do whatever is necessary to become a millionaire? Each of these goals, along with many others just like them, are the quintessence of worthlessness. No man lying upon his deathbed wishes he spent more time at the gym (unless he is a complete nut). No one when breathing their last breath wishes they made more money for their children to fight over.
It seems that most people either have no goals or stupid goals. As a pastor, I cannot express how much it grieves me to watch people pour a thousand dollars worth of effort into something that isn't worth six cents. Time is swiftly passing away. Your children are growing up faster than you can imagine. One day, you will not wish you made more money, lost more weight, or beat a video game. You will, however, wish that you had been a better father or a better mother. You will wish that you had been more devoted to God. You will wish that you had influenced more people for the kingdom of God. You will wish that you had held your babies longer, spent more evenings at home, and made more of a difference in someone's life. As we press full-throttle into this new year, let's not succeed at accomplishing a bunch of worthless junk. Set goals that are worthy of your time and effort. What's worse than failure? Succeeding at things that don't matter.
