“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” – Proverbs 16:3 KJV
Many people have dreams, but the majority of those who are dreaming fail to materialize the desires of their hearts for lack of understanding that success doesn’t happen on a whim; rather, it is a process. In other words, there are steps to success that must be taken before a person could reach their desired outcome. Unfortunately, many people give up prior to taking that next step that would actually lead them into success, assuming that they were never meant to be successful, when in reality, success was just one step away!
But there’s another side of success that isn’t brought into consideration as much as it ought to be. If we truly have a desire to fulfill God’s will for us, but are attempting to move in a direction that is contrary to it, then why should we expect Him to give us the success that we think we should have while wanting what He wants for us at the same time? Sometimes the success that you’re really looking for comes packaged in failure. Think about it. If you want what God wants for you, and He gives you what He wants for you, then you have reaped the reward of success. It may not come to you in a package to your liking, but the bottom line is that you still got what you wanted. You just didn’t see things clearly enough in the beginning to know it.
Listen, if you really want what God wants for you then you can be sure to know that He is giving it to you right now; that is, in stages, of course. It may take some time before you’ll see this more clearly, but it is happening nonetheless. So why not be patient with God and allow Him to give you success as He sees fit? After all, it shouldn’t matter how it’s packaged. If it’s what God wants for you then it’s exactly what you need.
I suppose this is one of the reasons why Paul had said, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:12-13 KJV) You see, Paul didn’t let his circumstances define who he was; he knew that his life belonged to Jesus Christ and was willing to accept anything that life threw at him, knowing that his life was in good hands with God. Trials didn’t weaken him; instead, they made him stronger, because through them he learned how to depend on God more and more. Thus, he learned the lessons that God sought to teach him, and was thereby led into success in many ways.
If you don’t get exactly what you’re looking for in life, that doesn’t mean you aren’t getting what you want from God. Remember, it’s all a matter of learning how to see things aright. Even hardship could be a gift from God. For He often uses such things to wake people up to the reality of their condition, and to get them back on the right track. So, if you hit a wall along the way, that doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It just simply means that you need to remember that success is a process, and more importantly: that godly aspirations reap true success.
