Volume 3 - Edition 6 - March 2007
Success vs. Obedience or is Obedience Success?
After my first years as an administrator in school, I didn’t find it difficult to look back over the past year to wonder how successful I’ve been. This year, being my 16th year teaching year, has also helped to contribute to this inward and external reflection. As I ponder the previous years, I’m reminded of how various authorities, worldly or Christian, have brought to my attention my ‘accomplishments,’ or more often ‘failures’ and yet as I measure ‘these suggestions’, I usually find myself looking at how do my colleagues, parents, students, family view what I’ve done. Depending on the moment of my reflection, I can end up depressed or excited. What have I failed to do? I’ve forgotten that success is not measured by any standards the world, myself, or the school provides but the standard I must repeatedly remind myself of is “have I been faithful and obedient to what the LORD has asked of me”?
We, as a school, in a larger context, must ask ourselves the same thing. We have, by all the world’s standards, ‘arrived’ in that we have a very large student body compared to our government school counterparts, we have some of the best written online course, we by-and-large do well in province wide testing and so on and what is astonishing is that we have only been in operation four years! Then to a larger greater degree, we are faithful to the vision and mission- something to be proud of - right or….
I’m reminded of Moses’ story when he was told by God to speak to the rock and it would give water to people and the all their flocks and herds. However, in his irritation, he rebuked the people, “Hear now you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” and in his anger struck the rock twice (Nu. 20:11). For all intents and purposes Moses was successful before the people because they received what they wanted and Moses was able to provide it for them. Although the text doesn’t say it, one might think that Moses himself would have be pleased with his accomplishments - he spoke his mind about what he thought of the people and he exhibited miraculous authority. God thought differently. "Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." (v.12)
I can’t help but think of the tremendous privilege it is to serve a God who loves His people so much that He would send His son to suffer the torment of the cross and death for one like me, who hung Him there. If Jesus has done this for us, if He cares for us so deeply, if He provides for us on a day to day and moment by moment basis, then to measure our successes in light of how the world and ourselves measures it, is to have brought the blessing of Godly obedience down to the level of worldly ideals. The Question remains. “have we been faithful?” Have we been obedient to the claim of God on our lives, the lives of our children, and on this school? Anything short of that will keep us out of the ‘promised land’. As we begin a new calendar year and a 2nd semester let’s meditate what defines success, excellence and professionalism and whether or not in measures up to God’s version of faithfulness.