And the women sang to one another as they made merry, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands."  ⁸ Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?"  ⁹ So Saul eyed David from that day on. ¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand;¹¹ and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall."  But David eluded him twice. ¹² Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. ¹³ So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. ¹⁴ David had success in all his undertakings; for the LORD was with him. ¹⁵  When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.   (1 Samuel 18:7)

David was determined to be successful because he did so much better than Saul. Even Saul bought into the idea that he was a failure because David was so “successful.”

I remember a conversation I had in college with a person who was very good at playing the guitar.  We were talking about people we knew who played the guitar and I asked him if a person he mentioned who played the guitar was very good.  His response surprised me, but, obviously, it has stayed with me to this day.  He said, “I don’t measure whether or not someone is good with a guitar in the way you are asking.  He is good, because he is doing the best he is capable of playing at this time in his life.”  He was not measuring the person’s success, or lack thereof, in relationship to others.  He measured success only in relationship to the person himself.  Considering the person’s time given, natural ability, and other circumstances, he was good.  He was as good as he could be at that given time in his life.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about his response was his own attitude toward himself. He was a perfectionist.  Somehow he worked to provide his very best without, apparently, placing that same demand on others.  He had learned a secret of success in life with which I still struggle.  Do your very best in all you do without judging others. 

Success is such a subjective word.  Yet, its subjectivity has become commonly accepted in many ways.  High schools have often named seniors that are most likely to succeed.  What does that mean?  We have all heard someone say, “She is a success.”  What does that mean?  I can remember family members saying one of our other family members was not very successful.  Yet, that person seemed to have less stress in her life and lived longer than all the others of her generation. 

I also remember a professor from Bible College asking a class how we knew if someone had a successful ministry at a church.  He posed this question:  If you were the pastor of my congregation for five years, and the only person you baptized while you were at the church was my twenty-year-old son, would I feel your ministry had been a success? 

I had an uncle who did not make much money or drive nice cars and he lived in a simple home.  Yet he made and gave away over one million leather crosses during the last thirty-five years of his life.  Some of those crosses, literally, saved people’s lives. In addition, he loved me. Was he successful?  Did he do his best?  It was enough for me.

Today, I think of success as doing my best.  I wish I always did my best. There are days when I make poor decisions, or fail to make decisions.  I look back on that day and feel I did not do my best.  This is because I have been so trained by society to believe that success is measured over and against others.  I would like to overcome measuring myself against others. Until that day, I am trusting that God’s grace is big enough for God to say, “It was enough for me.”

Dawn Breaker #77: Do my best in any given moment.  It will be enough.
 

"There are a number of guidelines I try to follow in life and ministry. I find that when I follow them, situations sometimes become like the rising of the sun.  There is a luminous glow turning to great light, and occasionally, inspiration.  When I don't follow these adopted guidelines, they sometimes become Don breakers, making life frustrating at best.   I do not suggest you should live by all the principles I choose for my life.  If they are helpful for you, make them your own.  They work for me."
                                                                                                                Don Shelton