Sun 9:30a Class; 10:30a Worship; 11:35a Communion
Bible Bites
Unendorsed Success
One of my favorite motivational posters shows a picture of the Egyptian pyramids. The title of the poster is "Achievement". The caption reads, "You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor."
The poster is published by a company called Despair, Inc. Their motto is, "Welcome to the cure for hope." Their products are parodies of all the motivational products commonly seen at mall kiosks, in offices and on websites.
This particular poster makes a worthwhile point. The ancient Egyptians were among the most powerful people in the world. They had a stable government, a strong military, a highly sophisticated culture, and the resources and vision to sustain themselves. Like many dynastic empires, they also had an ample supply of slave labor. All of the above, and especially the slave labor, amply account for the staggering spectacle of the pyramids.
If you fast forward to today, you can see a comparable phenomenon. How often are you treated to some infomercial hawking the latest fitness, nutrition or beauty product featuring a well-known celebrity? How often do the morning talk shows feature celebrities telling us how they lost 50 lbs, got their life back, and if we, the gaping masses, will do what they did, we'll get the same results?
NOT.
What they don't tell you is that their contracts have incentives for losing weight and keeping shape. What they don't tell you is that they have personal trainers, personal dietitians and personal chefs. What they don't tell you is that companies approach them and offer them money to use their products. What they don't tell you is that they have a paid nanny to watch their kids while they're sweating at the gym. What they don't tell you is that their 20,000 square-foot condos are equipped with a workout room that would rival an Olympic training facility. What they don't tell you is that they only work about 4 hours per day.
I don't know about you, but when I hear celebrities talking about their health and beauty success, I start seeing pyramids. I begin to suspect that their success is less a personal achievement than a corporate endorsement, built upon the backs of others.
So, how does this help me? It doesn't.
I would rather build small mounds of dirt with my own hands than pyramids on the back of others. I would rather know that I did what I could with what I had, even if the results are meager, than to erect some artifice around my life. Nor do I say this as an affirmation of stubborn pride. I have no desire to follow the path of egoism and loudly sing, "Let the record show I took the blows and did it my way!"
As a Christian, I believe that there is nothing more fundamental than a personal commitment to Jesus of Nazareth. At long last I will be judged on the basis of what I did myself, rather than what I did via corporate sponsors. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that EACH ONE may be recompensed for HIS DEEDS in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5.10). Make no mistake — along the way, the Lord provides his strength and guidance. Along the way, I will surely be helped by others. I am not in this alone. But I am responsible for my life, and I cannot take credit for what is not mine.
Each day, take what you have, do what you can do, and trust the Lord for the rest. It is enough.
