What it means to be a Christian AND a teenager

If you were to pick up a dictionary and needed to define the word success...here are a couple definitions you might find:

1. a favorable result.
2. the attainment of wealth, favor, eminence, or power.

That's what success is, but what does it really mean to be successful?

One might say that a successful person is someone that sets a lot of goals and continually achieves them.

If a person is considered successful, that person is probably at the top of their career.

Right now, one person that comes to my mind is a name that we have all heard a lot lately...Michael Phelps. Most of us would consider Michael Phelps a success. He has worked very, very hard to become one of the best athletes of our time. He is an incredible swimmer, and I doubt anyone would deny that he is a successful competitor.

At this point in your lives, you probably haven't narrowed down exactly what you want to do or be "when you grow up". However, if you land at the top of your career and you are rich and look totally fabulous...will you be successful?

According to BARNA research online:

• 51% of Christians and 54% of non-Christians believe that money is the main symbol of success in life.
• 19% of Christians and 20% of non-Christians feel that you can tell how successful someone is by what they own.

It is important for us to understand that God measures success far differently than the world measures success. God doesn't look at how many magazine covers a person is on, or how much money a person brings home from commercial endorsements. God doesn't care what kind of car a person drives, how big their house is, or even if they own a platinum credit card with no spending limit! All the money, power, and fame in the world don't impress God in the least.

So how does God define success?

God's measure of success is really quite simple: FAITH=SUCCESS. When we look back on our lives, do we see faith (that we have trusted and had confidence in God) in our actions, or do we only see fear and doubt? God loves to see faith in people. God is pleased with faith, and God rewards faith.

God has called each and every person here to a deep, committed relationship with Jesus. The cool thing is, God equips us all with very unique gifts, and each one of us is created in God's image.

Being a success in God's eyes means acknowledging God's presence in our everyday lives. Being a Christian becomes a part of who you are and your own identity in Christ. It's about learning to love others and choosing to serve God in every moment.

You all have a choice. When you're sitting at the lunch table and your friends are all laughing at a crude joke that is either hurtful or demeaning to someone else...you have a choice. You can sit there and play along by laughing, even though you know it's wrong...OR you can choose to stand up for what you know is right and put your faith into practice. When you're out on the football field and your friends are talking about partying and drinking on the weekends....you have an opportunity to make a choice to stand up and tell your friends that you may not agree with what they are doing.

Sometimes it's hard to notice the opportunities before us when we are doing the SAME thing every single day. You have the same classes, the same routine, and it's easy to get into a rut. But part of being successful as a Christian is finding God in the mundane, everyday things, and acknowledging God's presence in that moment. When you get to school and get out of the car...you have a choice. You can take a moment right there where you are and ask God to show you ways to be Christ-like throughout your day...or you can choose to try and do it completely on your own.

I can tell you from my experience that it's always easier when you can trust God and allow God to be at work through you.