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Chase the Lion: Success Defined
by Mark Batterson
We live in a
culture that idolizes success and demonizes failure.
But in God’s
kingdom the outcome isn’t the issue. Success isn’t winning or losing; it’s
obeying.
It’s honoring
God whether you’re in the red or the black. It’s praising God whether you win
the election or lose it.
It’s giving God
the glory whether you’re in the win column or the loss column.
I’ve never met
anybody who doesn’t want to be successful, but very few people have actually
defined success for themselves.
So, by default
they buy into the culture’s definition of success instead of God’s definition.
In God’s book
success is spelled stewardship. It’s making the most of the time,
talent, and treasure God has given you.
It’s doing the
best you can with what you have, where you are.
Here’s my
personal definition of success: when those who know you best respect you most.
Success starts
with those who are closest to you. At the end of the day, I want to be famous
in my home.
And by the way,
it’s hard to be famous in your home if you’re never home.
If you succeed
at the wrong thing, you’ve failed. If you fail at the right thing, you’ve
succeeded.
Failure: A
Necessary Step
A few years ago
I was on vacation at Lake Anna, a hundred miles southwest of Washington, DC.
I walked into a
little coffee shop and noticed a piece of wall art that said “Chase the Lion.”
Turns out the
owner was inspired to quit her job and pursue her dream of opening Not Just
Mochas after reading my book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.
I popped in
every time I was in the area, but the shop closed down less than two years
after it opened.
Not only did I
miss the caramel macchiato with a shot of cinnamon, but I also felt partially
responsible.
However, in my
eyes Linda didn’t fail. Her dream was going into business,
and she did just that.
Going out of
business wasn’t part of the plan, but she is no less a lion chaser because the
shop closed.
Just as courage
is not the absence of fear, success is not the absence of failure.
Failure is a
necessary step in every dream journey.
I’ve written
books that have been disappointments, and I’ve started businesses that have
gone belly up.
But in each
instance, I’ve tried to learn the lessons those failures are trying to teach
me.
Then I’ve
mustered the courage to try, try, and try again.
If you don’t
try out, you’ll miss out. Then you’ll have to live the rest of your life
wondering, What if?
Don’t let the
fear of failing keep you from trying.
Given our
locale in Washington, DC, I pastor to a lot of professional politicians.
Outside the
beltway there is a great deal of skepticism toward politicians, and much of it
is merited.
But public
service in the form of politics is a noble profession, even if every
politician isn’t.
The way I see
it, running for political office is chasing a five-hundred-pound lion.
I’ve met some
politicians who have run and won, but I might admire those who have run and
lost even more.
They might not
have won the popular vote, but they threw their hat into the ring.
God doesn’t
always call us to win.
Sometimes He
just calls us to try.
Either way,
it’s obedience that glorifies God.
Excerpted from Chase the Lion: If
Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small © 2016 by Mark Batterson.
Published by Multnomah, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Mark Batterson is the founder
and lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C. He is a New
York Times best-selling author of a dozen books, including In a Pit
with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t
Scare You, It’s Too Small. Learn more at markbatterson.com.
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