Success

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ. The definition of success according to the dictionary is: “1. The gaining of something desired, planned, or attempted. 2a. The gaining of fame or prosperity. b. The extent of such gain. 3. One that is successful. 4. A result or outcome.” Now some of you may be wondering if my goal is to give you a vocabulary lesson. Let me assure you that I have a much different thought in mind than a vocabulary lesson. But I feel that it is important for us to cognitive of how the world defines success as I share with you a matter that has come to me recently.

A few weeks ago, I engaged in a conversation with a friend about a decision that Jamie Pollard, the Athletic Director at

Iowa

State

University

made a few months ago. Many of you know that he decided to offer tickets to the Iowa/Iowa State Game only to season ticket holders at Iowa State. I am not going to debate the decision that he made but instead want to respond to a comment that my friend made in regards to that decision. In the midst of our discussing the merits of the decision, he indicated to me that “no matter what, you must admit that he was successful because this is the highest season ticket sales in a long time and that was his goal.” That comment made me think about what it means to be successful. My friend was right, the Mr. Pollard had increased season ticket sales and therefore the revenue generated. However, I had to wonder at what cost. I am not sure that there will be an immediate cost that is noticeable other than some grumbling by Hawkeye fans and even some Cyclone fans but that does not mean that there is not some lasting cost.

All of this made me think about what people are willing to do to be “successful”. Many years ago, I realized that the way we major success does not always take all matters into consideration. Jamie Pollard made a decision that will look favorable on his next job review but what cost were paid in regards to relationships in the state. What costs were paid in regards to what might be considered “fair and equitable”? The actions that we take must be measured not only in terms of visible impacts but also in the way that it impacts people. To me that is what Jesus tried to communicate to his disciples and anyone who would listen. Our actions, while they may bring us immediate rewards and levels of success, do have much deeper impacts that we must consider.

This has led me to the following conclusion: Just because something is successful, does not make it right.

May the Lord guide you in all your decisions!!!