“How was your day?” I know that I usually answer that question by listing what I did. I am constantly trying to assess whether I have achieved anything meaningful in my day. I often rely on what I have done being the measure for success. However, being home with my children has challenged my thinking on this. I rarely have anything to show for my day. The house is still untidy, and I haven’t got to any of the work I thought I would.
Perhaps this is something you can relate to. Perhaps you, like me, are living in the throes of little kid chaos. Perhaps you suddenly find yourself unemployed or bedridden with illness. Perhaps mental illness has stopped you in your tracks. Perhaps all your plans have been stalled as you wait for a visa or a bursary. Life has no shortage of things that interrupt our plans for success.
How can I measure success when I have no tasks ticked off my list and nothing to show for my day? More importantly, how do I check that I have had the type of day that pleases God and counts as successful to him?
In a world that often confuses busyness for success, how does God’s Word help us think about this? How does his Word direct our thinking about what a successful day as a Christian looks like? Here are a few things that the Word tells us matter more than a completed to do list:
Loving God
When Jesus was questioned about what the most important commandment was, he responded by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) Of all the things we need to do, loving God needs to be right at the top of the list. We cannot count our day as successful if we have ticked off every item on our to-do list, but we have not whole-heartedly sought to love God. We grow our love for him by reading the Bible, by praying and by meeting with his people. If you are wondering if you have done anything of value with your day, ask yourself if you have grown in love for your Father in Heaven.
Loving others
In Mark 12, we read that Jesus continued, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) We are called to love others. We have multiple opportunities to express this throughout the day. We can greet, pray for, serve, telephone or message others. Whether in a busy office or in a quiet home, there are others we can love and serve. This love is an expression of the love we first received from Christ. Loving others marks us out as followers of Jesus and brings him glory. So, love those in your immediate circle: your family, your carer, your next-door neighbour. Listen to them and help them and pray for them. Let your day show that you love others.
Perseverance
It is often said that our character is who we are when no one is watching. If you are in a stage of life where you have no audience, it can be tempting to let yourself off the hook when it comes to your daily walk with the Lord. We say to ourselves, “Who will know if I give into sin and temptation today?” The Word reminds us again and again of the value of perseverance. It is how we honour the Lord, whether it is seen by anyone else or not. James 1:4 reminds us, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” A day that the Lord counts as successful is one in which we quietly seek to keep living for him.
Joyful contentment
If we are in a stage of life where we feel like we are not achieving much, it can be very tempting to become discouraged and bitter. We can too quickly allow our achievements to be the source of our joy. However, as Christians, we have a different source of joy – our relationship with God. If we are convinced that God is in control of all of life, we can rest in any stage of life we find ourselves in. We can be joyfully content at what our lot is. Instead of longing for something different, we can thank God that he has given us what he knows is best in each season. 1 Timothy 6:6 reminds us, “…godliness with contentment is great gain.” Contentment is a beautiful expression of our faith in God’s goodness and providence. A successful day as a Christian is one in which we can joyfully embrace that which we have received from the hand of God.
A word of warning
Right at the beginning, in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell for a lie. They listened to the devil and found themselves believing that God was holding out on them. They found themselves believing that God didn’t really want what was best for them, that their circumstances were given to them out of the miserliness of God, not his goodness.
We are all at risk of believing that lie about God too. If you wallow too much in your circumstances instead of looking to God and feeding on the goodness of his character, you might be sucked into bitterness and resentment. You will be bitter with God, and you will resent those you think have the life you want. You’ll scroll through social media, trying to find reasons to judge them. You’ll struggle to pray or to worship God, because you will feel both angry with him and cold towards him.
If this is where you are, stop right here. Pray right now. Give the space you are in, to God. Ask for his help. Don’t wait for your feelings to change, talk to God regardless of how you are feeling. He knows where you are at anyway! Then, get stuck into the Word: start with the Psalms and look for things to praise in God’s character and in his actions as you read.
Don’t allow a seed of bitterness to take root in your heart, causing you to second-guess every good gift from God and doubt his warmth, kindness and love.
Whether we have a completed to-do list or a messy house to show for our day, let us first strive to have days that glorify our Father Heaven by remembering that we don’t need to earn his love by being successful. Instead, because of what Christ has done for us on the cross, we can express our love for him by prioritizing what he values each day.
Thanks for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful. Please send me any feedback, comments or questions that you may have. I would also like to hear if there are any topics that you would like me to deal with in the future. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Bye for now.
