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Achievement!

Achievement is doing something successfully by way of effort, courage or skill.  Everyone desires to achieve something!  Think for a moment those things that you have already achieved and the things that you are presently working on to achieve.  Feels good, doesn’t it?  There is something within our DNA that just wants to get-r-done!  Working hard and achieving goals are an important part of a God-glorifying life.  Our achievements are intended to be a way in which we feel the joy of serving God.  But once they become something else, they can be toxic!  It’s important to remember, one’s achievements are not life, nor are they even a measuring stick for the worth of one’s life.  

Achievements are good things until they become our gods.  They can help make this world a better place.  But in the end, we can’t put our faith in them because they shrivel like everything in this world.  That’s why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “Look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 

There are several reasons that achievements win the battle for our hearts.  They offer a method of measurement.  For most it’s much easier to give our time to the tangible.  We love to see what we’ve accomplished!  On the other hand, when we spend time in prayer and worship there isn’t immediate visual evidence that we’ve accomplished something, but when you (fill in the blank) _____, there is an immediate satisfaction. 

If you’re an achievement addict, consider this article a word of caution. Stop and think about who you are and who you will be when all the earthly accomplishments have shriveled up. Consider the words of Jesus to Martha: “Mary has chosen what is better” (Luke 10:42).  The context of which was that Martha was distracted with all her preparations for Jesus and His disciples rather than listening to what Jesus had to say.  It’s important to note that what Martha was doing was not evil or sinful!  In fact, what she was doing was good, but in comparison to what Mary chose to do, Martha chose second best.  Mary did what was best …she sat down at Jesus’s feet to listen to what he had to say!

This is the choice we make every day when we choose to make our to-do list and whatever else that is on our calendar priority over our relationship with God!  In Psalm 46:10 the Lord reminds us to “be still and know that I am God.”  Know that when you are consumed with getting things done and getting things done right it is very hard to be still and worship the Lord God.  

SO… stop and take a breath!  Make it a daily practice to slow down long enough to know that the Lord is God!  When you do, you will be reminded that God is sovereign and that He always has your best interest in mind!

 An MCHA Stop~n~Think - 03.13.2026 - Courtesy of  MCHA Ministry Coordinator Tim Chastain