What is Success?
A deeper understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Where do we place our identity?
Ben Graybill
6/22/20262 min read
To the world, success is status, image, and achievement. It's the appearance of having everything together and the ability to show others that you've made it. Yet most of the time, that image isn't reality.
The number of people who seem to have everything yet still feel empty inside saddens me deeply. We see it all around us, and yet we continue chasing the same things. The truth is, some lessons can't be taught—they have to be lived. No amount of advice can replace experience.
For much of my life, I've struggled with attaching my identity to success. And honestly, it doesn't help that one of the first questions people ask when meeting someone new—especially as a man—is, "What do you do?"
Sometimes my answer is, "I don't know. I'm still figuring it out."
I've been here, I've been there, and I've worn different hats along the way. For a long time, I let that uncertainty convince me that I was falling behind. I questioned my direction, my purpose, and even my value. Not knowing exactly where I'd be in three, four, or five months felt overwhelming at times.
I felt this deeply over the last two years.
But through it all, one thing remained true: I never turned away from God. He was right there beside me in every high and every low. Through the confusion, the setbacks, the victories, and the waiting—He was faithful through all of it.
So here's the question I want you to consider:
What is true success?
What actually matters?
Because one day, when our lives are over, people will mourn our passing. But eventually, life will continue. The world keeps moving. So if that's true, what is it that really lasts?
It won't be your business, your title, or the amount of money in your bank account. People will remember the impact you had on their lives. They'll remember how you treated them, how you loved them, encouraged them, challenged them, and showed up when they needed someone most.
They'll remember your character.
Attaching your identity to the things of this world will always leave you wanting more. Success, money, recognition, and accomplishments make terrible foundations because they're constantly changing. When our identity is built on them, we often find ourselves trapped in anxiety, fear, comparison, and disappointment.
But when we shift our focus from ourselves to serving others, everything begins to change. When we acknowledge that life isn't all about us and seek to love people the way Jesus did, our perspective starts to transform. We become less concerned with building our own kingdom and more concerned with advancing His.
Continue to trust Him through every season. Continue to walk faithfully, even when the path ahead isn't clear. In Him, we find peace, purpose, and the kind of success that actually lasts.
As Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
My prayer is that God would use each of us for something greater than ourselves. That we would live lives marked by obedience, service, and faithfulness. And that one day, when our race is finished, we would hear the words:
"Well done, good and faithful servant."