Walk in Your CallingSample

Day 7: Never Arrive

Seasons are inevitable. They come and they go, leaving you with one of two choices: You grow or become stagnant. If you’re in the latter category, it’s because you believe you have hit the limit of where you can go or who you will be as a person. Ultimately, you get comfortable. You believe that by your definition of success, you have made it.

We live in a world that loves to put completing all your bucket lists, goals, dreams, and aspirations as an arrival destination. Graduate from high school. Get married. Land your dream job. Go on a missions trip. Grow a youth ministry. Become a lead pastor. While all these goals are commendable, don’t fool yourself into thinking that once you have achieved your goal, that’s it! You’re done! You’ve arrived and have nothing else to do, so you can settle in. Wrong. You should always ask the question, “What’s next?”

We can’t use the relevance of this world as our marker of success. In fact, the Lord instructs us that we must be set apart. We were never meant to be a part of this world, so we can’t become comfortable in things that will fade away. Even when we experience seasons of success, we need to remember that our goal is eternity, not this world. That means a season of success doesn’t permit a lifetime of complacency.

This comfortable place, otherwise known as “arrival” can’t be a part of your mindset or goals. To avoid this arrival mindset, be committed to growth. Growth takes intentionality. If you believe you’ve arrived, there isn’t any reason to go out of your way to do or be better. There should always be motivation to continue asking questions and learning. However, you can’t rely on yourself to cultivate this growth, because intentional spiritual growth will never be about what you do. It’s about what God wants to do through you. When you realize and focus on that, it helps grow your expectancy of what God can do. Now, you can be confident in who you are and your God-given abilities, but humble enough to know you can’t do anything eternally significant without God. When you recognize that your success is only a result of God working through you and not a result of your own power or abilities, you won’t struggle with an arrival mindset.

What has become an arrival spot for you that was supposed to be a launching pad for your growth and future? Reject complacency and embrace change and growth, continuing to set new goals and see things as they could be. You are a part of God’s bigger plan to cover the earth with the gospel.

Prayer

Lord, help me to never feel that I’ve arrived and instead continue to choose to learn and pursue healthy growth. Guard my heart and mind from the arrival state of mind. Help me to walk in complete humility, understanding that I can’t do anything without You. Let me take all that I have learned and grow in expectancy of how You want to use me in Your bigger picture. Amen.