Sunday’s message led me to ponder the question in the title of this piece and apply it to myself. Am I successful? I suppose it depends on how you measure success. Before I get to my personal success, or lack thereof, I’ll first explore the reason for my pondering. The message Sunday came from Genesis chapter thirty nine and is the story of Joseph, the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat guy. The title of the message was “Joseph Succeeding in Life.” But if you read the text in Genesis, it doesn’t appear Joseph was successful at all. Not unless being sold into slavery is a sign of success. Is the question of his or my success, or yours for that matter, one in which only we have a say? Or society? Is there a more important perspective than ours? So, what is the story?
In Genesis 39 we find Joseph, after being sold into slavery by his brothers, working for an important man named Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard. Genesis 39:2 says, “And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.” And because Potiphar saw how the “Lord caused all that Joseph did to prosper in his hand,” Potiphar used him as his personal servant and put him in charge of his entire household. Joseph was still a slave, but in the hierarchy of slaves, he was at the top. Regardless of his position or condition, God viewed Joseph as successful.
But for Joseph, things soon took a turn for the worse. Successful or not, finding favor with his master or not, Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of attempted rape, and her husband believed her story (I’ve always been impressed with Joseph’s reaction to this woman’s advances, but that’s a story for another time). So, Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison. Again, God was with Joseph in his circumstances. Genesis 39:21-23 it says, “But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. And the chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.” Because God was with him, Joseph was a success, in much the same way Daniel had been a success. Maybe not from man’s perspective, but certainly from God’s. This chapter is not the end of Joseph’s story, there is so much more to this man’s life, but it does give us insight as to his character and to his priorities and to his focus on God.
With all that said, how is Joseph’s story relevant to me? During the sermon, the preacher noted that Joseph had spent a combined thirteen years in slavery and prison. He then asked the congregation to imagine how long thirteen years is. “Where were you and what were you doing thirteen years ago?” he asked. Which sent me back in time. In 2010 I had a good job, a nice income, a large house with three car garage and finished basement, a fancy car; I had all the trappings of success. But it was a mirage. Within four months and by the end of 2010, I would lose my nice job, sell my house at a huge loss, move into a townhome less than half the size of my house, and get rid of my expensive, fancy car. And it was in the midst of this that I realized I had been viewing my success through the wrong lens. I was chasing the wrong things, striving after the wind as Solomon put it, pursuing the things by which the world measures success. I made a decision to change my focus and define my success in a different way. I began a spiritual journey that asked one question, a question that now defines my success. Is my life pleasing the Lord? And what a journey it’s been. If you asked me today, thirteen years later, if I’m a success, I would have to say, I don’t know. But there are indications. An excerpt from an email to me sent by my oldest son:
“…as for you i think one of your purposes is to do what you’re doing, you always send these emails and dad, you are my link to God, without you, i would not constantly be reminded of the word or God for that matter, i am thankful that you write to me and peep (his brother’s nickname), sharing your faith and challenging us to think and question ours, dad i’m thankful for you and i want you to realize that you help me with my spiritual struggles…”
Or this note I received from someone after they read Pondering God:
“Hi Ron, I finished Pondering God and wanted you to know that it was very meaningful to me. I’ve been doing a lot of pondering myself. While I’ve always considered myself a Christian, I’ve drifted in and out of the faith over the years. I’ve regained my zeal and am ready to practice my faith fully. You can’t be a Christian Part–Time. Thank you for putting together this powerful book.“
I suppose the ultimate answer to the question presented above is not in how I see my success, but in how God sees it. Does he see me, like he did Joseph, as a success? Even though it didn’t appear to those around him that Joseph was a success, I think he knew. Because he knew God. And when finally meeting up with his deceptive and traitorous brothers, Joseph said this, “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Joseph knew and was known by God, and he measured his success by how his life pleased the Lord. And how he lived his life was to be a faithful slave to his masters. Both of them. As for me, I look forward to the day when I can hear these words from my Lord, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.” Then and only then will I be a success.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy my book, Pondering God.
Pondering God 