Thought: Perhaps that’s success

Beginning to redefine what “success” looks like

Hi Guys, I’m writing this at the airport in Tenerife at the end of my second mission trip! I’ve spent 5 days evangelising, studying the word and enjoying community with Our God Given Mission. What I love with these trips is the group decision to be completely present, not allowing our phones to deteriorate the quality of interaction and experience (hence the lack of interaction on my Instagram.) One thing I’m especially considerate of is our proclivity to experience moments like these as spiritual highs, rather than fuel for a long term sustainable change. We want to avoid large peaks and troughs, littered with “zeal” and “backsliding”, so I’m always looking to use these experiences to develop patterns and lifestyles that are sustainable and consistent. Looking at Christ as the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) with a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, means that as I walk with him, I’ll continue to grow and mature in faith. It was genuinely an amazing time spent with great people sharing the Good News.

To fully digest the content and lessons from this trip, it will take a while, so expect a future post on it. However, as I sit in the airport I think of the wealth of knowledge I amassed from the last mission trip and how they’ve shaped some of my ideologies today.

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I really wanted to come to this with an open mind, with new "expectations” for what God is going to do, almost how I’m going to see God in a different way. On the first morning I remember going to the beach, which I had visited last trip, gazing out into the Atlantic ocean from a certain point then walking forward, seeing a whole new section of the ocean that was previously blocked by a boulder. The serenity of the beach, with the ironically peaceful sound of the crashing waves, facilitated the realisation that it’s possible to see a new side of God, a different part of his nature. There was almost this idea that as I’ve gone further in my journey with God, analogous to walking further along the pier of the beach, there’s a new, fuller, breadth of God that I’m exposed to. Last year one of the main things I learnt on the mission trip that I’d like to quickly share is centred around “‘redefining our success metrics.”

Last year on mission, we met a particular woman who was part of the church who supported us. Her story is one that I reflect on often, epitomising obedience to the call. Unfortunately we weren’t able to meet her again this year, as she was back in the UK getting married but a brief synopsis of her story is as follows:

She left a successful career and her family in the UK because she felt a Godly impression to become a missionary in Tenerife. Since coming  to Tenerife more than 10 years ago, she’s helped many people find the Lord but also has become a great help and support in the community. The church she’s part of acquired a building that overlooks the strip, and since then she’s been hosting and aiding people who work in the bars and strip clubs. Whilst evangelising last year, the workers spoke so emphatically about how she’s been a beacon of hope and an embodiment of what they imagine a follower of Christ to be.

What makes me consistently think of her story is not just the enormity of her sacrifice, but her recognition that she would not feel fulfilled doing something outside of that which she was created to do. What’s important to realise from her story is that it’s completely counter cultural, directly against the grain. What person after graduating would leave a stable role, living a comfortable lifestyle in the UK to move to a party Island to simply serve people because she felt God tell her to? By the worlds standard she’s completely “fallen off” but to me, I can do nothing but admire her journey. Not that everyone is supposed to up and leave everything to be a missionary in Tenerife, but that the ultimate fulfilment comes from doing what you’ve been created and purposed to do.

Thought: Could it then be possible that one can be a “Successful” failure? Attaining what’s socially considered as “success”, but having an insatiable desire for more?

In today’s short piece, I just want to begin to communicate the idea that to experience genuine fulfilment you will have to redefine what success looks like. Next week, we will be back with a proper post (maybe on my reflections of this second mission trip, who knows?)