What dreams in your life do you feel pressure to achieve?
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused us to pause. Through all the exhaustion and weariness, we have an invitation to take stock of the priorities in our lives. Hustling for work loses a little bit of its luster while trying to occupy children. The lockdown and quarantine have revealed to the holes of the American Dream.
We rarely talk about the burdens of success. Each level of success leads to the next climb for success. For example, Michael Jordan wanted to win three championships as opposed to two in a row from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Driving and striving leave us aching. It can exhaust us.
Author Kate Bowler wrote the book, Everything Happens for a Reason and has done extensive research on the Prosperity Gospel. In a TED Talk, she shared about her experience of having a son only to find out that she had Stage IV cancer.
As is this case with many of us, it’s a mindset that served me well. The gospel of success drove me to achieve, to dream big, to abandon fear. It was a mindset that served me well until it didn’t, until I was confronted with something I couldn’t manage my way out of; until I found myself saying into the phone, “But I have a son,” because it was all I could think of to say.
The gospel of success tells us the lie that we can manage anything. Following Jesus becomes synonymous with the American Dream. Doing the right things, along with hustle, will secure our goals. The most believable lies attach a small dose of truth. Throughout the whole Bible, we see the importance of consistency, faithfulness, and hard work. The gospel of success implores us to earn, which is not the gospel.
Kate Bowler, TED TALK
Paul, the writer of Philippians, shares the elusiveness of success Philippians 3. He details his story as someone who achieves religious success – knowing all the laws, circumcision, even his Jewish pedigree.
He summarizes his encounter with Jesus in Philippians 3:7, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
The good news of the gospel frees for the need to achieve. The successes and failures no longer have burden us. When our identity forms out of Jesus’ grace, forgiveness, and acceptance, we can experience freedom. We have received God’s grace and no longer feel the pressure to earn. The gospel of success burdens us to achieve more and more. The good news of the gospel reminds us that Jesus has freely given life to us.
A shutdown clarifies to us what matters. God, in His grace, slows us down enough to place in check a few of the unhealthy pursuits of hearts. Not because He does not want us happy; on the contrary, He sees the burden to produce we place on ourselves. Jesus calls us to a lighter load.
How has the gospel of success shaped your life? How might Jesus call you to live differently today?
Photo by Quaid Lagan on Unsplash