Mike and I went for a walk today. It was a bright and sunshiny day; great for walking around a beautiful pond. Mike ended up taking photos of some great wildlife, which you will see in a moment. I, on the other hand, had time to think; something I really needed to do.
To be quite honest, this week has been very difficult for me. We are coming up on three months without any major employment and trust me, that’s not due to a lack of effort on our part. I have been quite frustrated with God, often times I have wondered if God really does have a plan for our lives. This week all those thoughts have collided in my mind and the result has amounted to tears. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that I feel that God hasn’t given me the opportunity to be successful in the world, which I know we all desire.
It is because of these thoughts and feelings that I was thankful for some “think time”; time to sort things out. As I thought through my frustrations, the Lord was good to remind me of this: It is our society that has made me think that I should be defined by what I do. I define my success on what I do and how much money because that is how our society defines success, rather than defining my success based off of biblical principles.
I often introduce myself as, “hello, I’m Sheila, I am a teacher” as if the fact that I am a teacher makes me someone in our society. For some reason in my mind, it says that I am successful because I have a career. But really, what does success look like? A teacher is not successful just because she is a teacher or a doctor just because he is a doctor. I choose to define success quite different from what most of our society would say it is. I am successful not because of my occupation or title, but rather because I seek to love, encourage, and serve. I have a loving husband who makes me laugh, family who encourage me and a God who paid it all for me. I am successful not because of my occupation and income, but for who I strive to be.
To be quite honest, this week has been very difficult for me. We are coming up on three months without any major employment and trust me, that’s not due to a lack of effort on our part. I have been quite frustrated with God, often times I have wondered if God really does have a plan for our lives. This week all those thoughts have collided in my mind and the result has amounted to tears. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that I feel that God hasn’t given me the opportunity to be successful in the world, which I know we all desire.
It is because of these thoughts and feelings that I was thankful for some “think time”; time to sort things out. As I thought through my frustrations, the Lord was good to remind me of this: It is our society that has made me think that I should be defined by what I do. I define my success on what I do and how much money because that is how our society defines success, rather than defining my success based off of biblical principles.
I often introduce myself as, “hello, I’m Sheila, I am a teacher” as if the fact that I am a teacher makes me someone in our society. For some reason in my mind, it says that I am successful because I have a career. But really, what does success look like? A teacher is not successful just because she is a teacher or a doctor just because he is a doctor. I choose to define success quite different from what most of our society would say it is. I am successful not because of my occupation or title, but rather because I seek to love, encourage, and serve. I have a loving husband who makes me laugh, family who encourage me and a God who paid it all for me. I am successful not because of my occupation and income, but for who I strive to be.
Goodbye sad Sundays; hello success!
Mike's adorable pictures:
