I just had a great couple of weeks with my cousin Jason Marcela and their 2 beautiful girls, Jasmine and Ashley! Went to Florida,visited 3 theme parks and ate allot. It was so much fun!
I had to drop them off at the airport last Sunday. The 3 weeks that they were here with us seemed like a dream! And i didn't have a good cry about it until today. I really miss them..But i know that the world is getting smaller. Plus we're working on a tour through New-Zealand and Australia in April, so i hope to see them soon.
I was remembering a conversation i had with Jason last time i was in Sydney. I had spent most of the day with him and he was dropping me off at my cousin Nat's house.
I had had a lot of questions and worries about my future, which formed a mini storm in my mind. J and i pulled into Natalie's drive way, he pulled my things out of the boot (trunk), as he did so He asked me a question that sort of took me off guard. He said, 'charmy, what does it really mean to be successful, to you? What is success?
I fumbled around some cliche answer, but in reality, all my answers were so superficial, so shallow.
In all honesty, i didn't really believe my own answer.
Without any comment on my little speech on what success is, he went on to tell me what his story has been.
He grew up in a strong and influential family,always has loved music, he sings, writes, and produces. He married at an early age, had a baby girl thought that music was THE thing he was to do for the rest of his life, maybe success had come! Toured with a music ministry for a while, with his wife and his brand new baby girl.
But life on the road in Australia is difficult and doesn't pay enough, not for a small family to survive.
To cut a long story short he had a house that they had to move out of. He moved in with his parents. Things were not working out the way he thought it would. Struggling to make ends meet, where was his success now? Where was "the good life" he had wanted?
Marcela (whom i look up to very much) his wife, saw more than Jason could see at times. She believed in him.
Jason decided to go back to school (Graphic design). He ended up graduating from his classes with high distinction! Companies left and right wanted to work with him. He thought that he had now arrived and you could say that financially he did.
But in his heart nothing had changed. The good life which is now available to him paid him no comfort like he thought it would.
Where was the fulfillment? The bliss that came with "making it"? Wouldn't you know it? It wasn't where He thought it would be.
Jason had the Epiphany of his life. He walked in the way of Love Himself or as best as he could and found what he was not seeing, all the time.
Marcela is his castle. Their children are their crowning jewels and glory. The love that they have for each other is the solid foundation.
He had it all along....Success!!
So...although you may be bombarded with the standards this culture, your peers, your parents or even yourself says you should have, in order to 'make it'.
I hope you find something more.
A foundation made by Love Himself. A castle built with true companionship. And crowns full of priceless jewels.
May that be your success.
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5 comments:
Wow thats so cool your hoping to tour New Zealand and Australia! ill definitely come see ya when you're in NZ :)
Thats so true... true success only comes when we build our like on the solid rock foundation of God, and seek to find out what plans He has in store for our lives. I know that for me, with finishing up uni, and not even knowing where in the world (literally) i'll be this time next year, I am having to learn to really trust in Him about what he has in store for me in this next chapter of my life. I know what I'd like to do, where I'd like to be (i'd love to live in Australia, America and NZ all at once! id love to have a really good career, and im hoping that i still will) but I've been convicted lately to really come and lay all my life down at His feet and say to God 'Here I am. Use me. Take my five second life and use it for your purposes' which takes a lot of courage to do!
Anyway, good to read another of your blogs :)
-Priscilla
*build our life
That’s a very thought-provoking entry, Charmaine.
Whenever I feel like I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m supposed to do with my life, I meditate on 1 Peter 5:7, “cast all your worries on him because he cares for you.” He does care for us and will never forsake us. We also know that what the worldly success is different than Godly success. Often this world equates success with fame and fortune. But Godly success is operating in the gifts God’s given us (being obedient) to His glory and being content with what we have, knowing our reward isn’t here anyway.
What I’ve found in my life is that God has a plan and all I have to do is walk in it. Often, I don’t know what it is or even expect the next door He’ll open for me. When I feel unsure about where my life is going, I often find that’s the Holy Spirit’s way of telling me God is putting a new passion in my heart. When I feel that way I start praying God will open the next door I’m supposed to go through. A Christian is complete in Christ, but has a passion in their heart to walk in the path God has given them. No matter the twist and turns, joy is always there. :-)
Adam
So very true. We get this bombarding of fake ideas from the world all the time we are growing up, and we have little room for what the Lord really means for us in the way of success and achievment. I have never been one for much in the way of being noticed by people, kind of keep to myself in that respect. But God, of course, had his own ideas for me. Since i was young He has opened up so many doors in the way of being in front of people and doing things to be noticed. But with all said and done the most important and great blessing to me have been my children and their friends who i have sort of adopted along the way. Within children the Lord shows the last remaining purity and simplicity that He regards as important and successful. So with all that said, if i never set foot on another stage, or am seen by another person, i will know that my life has been blessed by God thru the little ones He has caused to come my way. May the Lord continue to bless your ministry and that you will be touched and strengthened by His mercy and grace. yer ol bro..mike
Wow, what great insights. I have been thinking about you a lot lately and wondering how you were doing. Looks like some things are happening. I pray for you and wish you the best!
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