Success

I enjoy reading science fiction stories; at least, science fiction stories written before modernism infected people's thinking as it has over last couple decades. Old science fiction has an honorable feel that you cannot get in anything written today. One book I read a while ago had a build up in the story that made me expect a big grand ending. I expected something of a mind-blowing explosive battle. Instead it ended with a relatively mild conclusion. Nothing really big--or so I thought.

Then I realized, the author did not fail to write a grand conclusion; rather, he succeeded in writing a humble conclusion. That was his point. He was communicating the fact that sometimes success is through simple humility rather than prideful "shoot-outs" and "nitty-gritty" fights. How often do we see success that way? After all, Jesus' death was a not really an "exciting battle" on the surface (to most eyes, it was just someone dying), but rather the simple self-sacrifice of our Savior.

We have been a bit brainwashed to think of success only as big and thrilling. Yet, a mother has success when she quietly finishes her day and takes care of the children, making sure that none of them have broken too many bones (!). A dad has success when he resists the numerous temptations that come after him the workplace and comes home not having committed a grave sin all day long. We often miss the truly "big" successes of life because we are looking for the "hollywood-style" successes of life. Let us open our hearts and see what the Lord is doing for us every single day.