Hebrews 5: 7-10:
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
We are taught from an early age that success is the goal of life. We quickly learn that getting good grades in school earns us the approval of our parents and teachers. Doing well in sports earns us trophies and the recognition of our peers. We grow up believing that if we are successful in school, we will be accepted into the good colleges, earn a good degree, and move into a successful career. We are programmed to be very goal oriented. We want to get the degree, land the job, find the right mate, raise successful children, etc.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with striving to do your best, and setting goals for yourself, there is something to the bigger picture of life that many people are not taught as they grow up. That something is that being engaged in the process is really what forms and changes your character, either for the better or the worse, more so than reaching the goal.
People can go about reaching their goals in the wrong way. If your goal is to climb the corporate ladder, the temptation to “use and abuse” people is always a threat. If your goal is to get that coveted degree, the temptation to short cut the learning process just to obtain the degree is also a danger.
In addition to that, even if your motives and methods are legitimate, there are many things in life that can negatively affect the obtaining of the goal, over which you have no control. For example, in my own life, several years ago I had a job I enjoyed very much. My plan was to keep that job until I retired. I had a fairly good pension, and was working to build up my 401K aggressively. I had a manager that continued to make things unnecessarily difficult. Then the company sold out. Needless to say, that threw a monkey wrench into my plans, and I found myself out in the job market again, looking for a job.
Set-backs to goals can come in many forms, job loss, illness, family issues, natural disasters, the list could go on and on. These will often require the modification of goals and plans.
As I stated earlier, I believe the most important thing for all of us, whether we do, or do not reach our goals, or accomplish the things we are striving for, is the affect that the process is having on our character. Everything we do in this life is temporary. No matter how noble our aspirations are, in the end, the only thing we retain is our character, whether it turns out good or bad. That is the only thing we carry with us into eternity.
The amazing thing to me, as I read this text from the book of Hebrews is that God, the eternal Creator and Ruler of all things, willingly subjected Himself to the same process of human life that forms all of us. He did not have to do that. It was not necessary for Himself. But it was necessary for us. God willingly entered our realm of space, time, and human limitations and weakness to fully engage in the process of being human. This is a mind-boggling truth. There is nothing else like it in any of the world’s religions. God is intricately involved in every aspect of our lives, our ecstatic joy and our deepest sorrow, our excitement and our boredom, the thrilling, and the mundane.
Knowing that, and the way life generally works, I continue to have goals and aspirations, but I am willing to adapt when things don’t turn out the way I planned, or expected. My expectations are often thwarted, and I am OK with that now. I did not start out that way, but life kind of beat it into me. I enjoy the process, and always ask myself the question, “Am I responding to this in a way that makes my character, my patience, my love for others, greater, or an I allowing my disappointment in unfulfilled expectations to make me uglier?” I think I have gotten much better at the former.
Danny's Stump 