Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold rightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12
With two kids under four, night school, and church responsibilities, I don’t spend a lot of time on the couch in front of the TV, but I love Behind the Music, a VH1 program that narrates the behind-the-scenes stories of the rise and fall of rock stars. I’ve watched the Behind the Music stories of Led Zeppelin, Billy Joel, Mötley Crüe, Tina Turner, and a host of others. It’s a kick to see what’s happened to the bands I grew up with.
But I love the stories for another reason: The interviews with the stars are refreshingly candid. In most of the profiles there seems to be little spin control. Julian Lennon, son of legendary Beatle John Lennon, described the pain of growing up in a home where his father sang “All you need is love” in public but didn’t show much love to his son in private.
The wretched-excess stories of Behind the Music are poignant reminders about the vain pursuit of fame, ambition, and success—The American Dream. If we achieve our dream, we’re often left casting about for new directions. If we don’t achieve it, our perceived inadequacy can motivate us wrongly for years.
A friend recently told me about the day he realized he would never be “discovered.” He had served as a pastor for years with the notion that one day he would get a phone call from a large church in a nice suburb and his dreams would be fulfilled. When he was in his forties, my friend had heard that he was one of the candidates for a plum senior-pastor position in his denomination. But the church never called him, not even to ask for his résumé. My friend later learned that the church had filled the position. “It didn’t hurt my ego to know I was not asked to be their pastor,” he said, “but it was tough to swallow that, given all the hype, I wasn’t even in the top twenty.
“After I learned of the decision, I returned to my study to finish the message for the midweek worship service. Humbled, I told myself I would rather be in the will of God than in my dream church. I grieved that I never had the opportunity to meet the committee. Then I looked at my ordination certificate hanging on the wall and saw the names of the ordination council—Tom, Roy, H. A., and Gerald—lay leaders, deacons, and bivocational ministers who had served in a rural county. I remembered their affirmation when they laid their hands on me and blessed me—and realized I had been discovered.”
The best kind of satisfaction comes from discovering and living out the call God has placed on your life.
—Dave Goetz
Reflection
How would I feel if someone told me my professional life would plateau where it is right now?
Prayer
God, you know that sometimes I secretly harbor dreams of being “discovered,” I commit those dreams to you to use for your purpose. In the meantime, help me to understand what it means to be content where I am.
“When you get to the top of the mountain, your first inclination is not to jump for joy, but to look around.” —James Carville, political consultant
Leadership DevotionsCopyright © Tyndale House Publishers.Used by permission.
