Redefining Success

In this day and age, success is what everyone is chasing. We all want to become something or reach a certain level in life. There’s nothing wrong with that desire, but often, it quietly draws us away from God’s presence (and sometimes we don’t even realize it!) When we become consumed by what the world defines as “successful,” we lose sight of what success truly means in the kingdom of God.

When we started this platform, we had our own picture of what success should look like: lots of viewers, constant engagement, new users every day, money flowing in. So when none of those things were happening the way we expected, we felt discouraged. We slipped into a slump where my motivation to work on this platform faded. We were anxious and worried because we were measuring everything by the world’s definition of success.

What helped pull me out of that slump was actually the theme of this year’s Junior Bible School at my church, Winners Chapel International Richmond. The theme is Fulfilled in Christ. One of our key scriptures is Psalm 34:10 — “but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” Another scripture we cite often is Matthew 6:33 — “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

The first part of both verses is the anchor: seek the Lord. Even when we’re doing things for the kingdom, it’s possible to lose sight of God — talkless of the things we do daily in pursuit of success. But what we must always remember is that the first step to redefining success is seeking the kingdom first.

When we surrender it all to God, we begin to understand that success isn’t about status, money, or numbers. It’s about fulfilling purpose. It’s about obedience. It’s about knowing that even if you reach just one person, that is success in God’s eyes.

So as we go about our week, I urge us to redefine what we call success and align it with God’s Word. There is real peace in that alignment.

-Feranmi S. Akande