When You Feel Unsuccessful

Have you ever felt unsuccessful in your creative work, projects, business or in other areas of your life? Maybe you have felt like you have failed, and or have fear toward “failing”. These feelings can sometimes surface because of what we believe success looks like. 

The definition of success can be subjective depending on the person and context. At Art of Hope, we look to the objective Word of God as our starting point to see what matters to the heart of God.

According to the Scriptures, loving God and loving others summarizes what is important to the Lord and for our human flourishing. In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus states the following:

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

In the above passage, Jesus is referencing the ten commandments. The first four commandments have to do with loving God, while commandments five through ten have to do with love for neighbor. The beauty of the gospel is that Christ fulfills the law for us, and this empowers the Christian to live a life of obedience. 

I recently heard a faithful pastor say that obedience to the Lord IS success. Obedience to God is true success, and the ultimate success we should be aspiring toward. When you feel unsuccessful or like a failure, look to Christ. Allow His Word to mold and shape you, reminding you that faithful obedience to God is true success despite what your earthly circumstances may tell you. 

Let this truth inform how you view what true success looks like. May this be the starting point for your creative projects, work and aspirations. Let this truth invade and saturate these spaces and every area of your life. Focus on being faithful with your mind, heart and hands, and trust the Lord with the results. Allow him to sanctify you and to continue to grow you to look more like Christ.