Can't Take it With You...

According to the dictionary, the word Ambition means: 1) Strong desire for fame and/or power. 2) Working toward the thing so desired. Laura Ingalls Wilder once wrote that "Ambition is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master". SO TRUE! Either we own and control our ambition or we are a slave to it. Look around and you will see people who have sacrificed friends, family, health and conscience for the sake of their Ambition and it's demanding sister named "Success". Who are you willing to step on in order to get where you want to be? How are you willing to compromise? What sacrifices will you lay on the altar of ambition?? This is one of the negative sides of Capitalism- it creates an ambitious, competitive society. But if one surrenders to their ambition in order to have "Success", there is an ugly secret. You see, success is a relative term. Someone who makes $150,000 a year may feel successful, but compared to someone who makes $350,000 it doesn't look so successful. Truth is, no matter what your talent is, or what you possess, there's always somebody out there who is better or has more. Don't compare! I think God set it up this way to help us see the futility of basing our self-worth on how much money, fame or power we have. Nothing in this life lasts! Not beauty or popularity. Riches can be lost by one bad investment, divorce or betrayal- then what? You can't take anything with you when you die. Truly, success is not a sin, the Bible tells us to "strive for excellence", but making a lot of money, micro-managing several businesses, or earning a star in Hollywood isn't necessarily equivalent to excellence. Many are addicted to fame because it makes them feel good inside and they will do whatever it takes to earn more applause. What God wants is for our ambition to be selfless. We should desire to help others, build each other up and reach out to the hurting ones in this life. Jesus advised us to "Store up treasure in Heaven where moth & rust cannot destroy and where thieves won't break in and steal". I no longer base my feelings of success on becoming a rich-n-famous musician. I am more free to love and be genuine this way. I'm learning to be content to live simply, enjoying time with the man I love. If I make someone smile, if I lighten a heavy load, if I can help someone else find hope again, if I raise well-adjusted children, if I am missed and remembered when my days on earth are done, then my ambition has not betrayed but blessed me...