Three times God tells Joshua, “Be strong and courageous,” and gives him three different promises. Twice in the passage God mentions success.
Our group talked about what it means to be successful. The gist of the comments was “success is following/doing what God tells you.” Later this morning I remembered a poem I read many years ago that gave me encouragement when I felt like a total failure in life.
It is unclear who was the author. Apparently it has been erroneously attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. A similar but longer poem was written by Bessie Anderson Stanley in 1904. Whoever was the author, the words speak encouragement and truth to me.
“Success”
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Today I found the slideshow below which I think also has great insight into what is success.
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Today I found the slideshow below which I think also has great insight into what is success.
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