In my quest to be more knowledgeable about my faith, I try to look to him first for guidance. But there is a struggle inside of me. Success and the desire to create the best life possible for myself and my family. This often means chasing after some vision of accomplishment.
But what is success? So much of what we view to be success is the admiration and approval of others. If we are to listen to what God wants for us, we might discover that success is living in a way that is in accordance with HIS will.
Funny isn't it? He has allowed us the option to follow our own paths. We have the will to choose but ultimately, success in our lives comes when we use our free will to follow what he has chosen for us.
Consider all the times free will is surrendered for deeper purpose. Mary says, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And her Son, Jesus surrenders saying "Father, Not my will but yours be done." When Mary surrendered herself to Gods will, she was given the great honor and responsibility of raising our savior.
Think about those in our worldly conventions who we consider to be successful. Isn't it the people who have risen to a position of great honor and responsibility? When Mary said these words, God was trusting her to use her talents to raise his son who would redeem the world. What greater honor and responsibility is there than that?
In each of us, God has bestowed talents that we can use for the greater good. It's difficult to understand what he wants us to do with our talents. And hearing him through the clutter is a task of even greater difficulty. If we follow Mary as an example, we will see that humility and courage are the key to unlocking our talents, and becoming who he wants us to be.
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