Whatever else God may be calling you to do, my friend, above all, He calls you to be faithful. To be faithful is to be consistent. Be someone others can count on; someone God can count on. Count on yourself to show up for your calling. Commit to fulfilling the dream God put in your heart, no matter what.
How faithful have you been in your daily time with God? Fulfilling God’s purpose for you is about being His, remember? Being His means being faithful to make your time with Him a priority.
Have you been faithful listening to His voice through His word and His Spirit? Faithful listening means taking time to discern if you are hearing Him, or your own heart.
Dear friend, don’t be too hard on yourself if you find you haven’t met your goals. Step back first to discern, “Are these God’s goals for me? Have I been faithful to pursue Him first?”
If you can say yes to those questions, you have been successful. Faithfulness is success, my friend. It isn’t the notches on the belt or the check marks on the list that make you successful. It’s showing up day after day after day. If you keep showing up, you are growing and moving forward. You may not move as quickly as you would like, but your most important move is still happening. You will be moving closer to God. You will grow in knowing and understanding Him. You will allow Him to have more of you and grow in His character and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the evidence of His work in your life. That is the kind of success that is worth pursuing day after day.
And, my friend, if you haven’t achieved your goals, consider what you have accomplished. Reflect on how far you have come rather than mourn what you haven’t done. You have grown. I am so proud of you! More than that, God values your commitment and character more than any accomplishment. You may know that, but do you know it?
Be faithful, dear friend. Let faithfulness be your goal and you will be successful. No ifs, ands, or buts about that.
Excerpt from The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word by Cathleen Zahradnik. Check it out here. If you’ve read the book, please leave a review on Amazon to help other people find it!