Not As Successful As that Guy

These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. 2 Samuel 23:22

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet a man who’s spent years working for Prison Fellowship Ministries and who’s written his own book about his life.* He’s a wonderful man and I’m sure that his book has sold far more copies than mine ever will. There was a time when this fact would have bothered me. This may sound absurd, but when I first wrote my book, I imagined that it would sell millions of copies and that I’d probably have to one day decide between being a physician or being a fulltime author. It’s been five years since publishing and if we would have had to live on my book royalties, my wife and I would be in serious trouble. In those five years though, I’ve realized that my book is never going to make me rich, but rather that it’s a ministry tool that I can use, giving books to those I meet who’re in desperate need of change. I’m never going to be a famous author, but I don’t have to be. All I have to do is be obedient to the job God has given me, loving those he’s put in my life.

Joy and peace aren’t found in what we often think of as success. Rather, joy and peace are found simply in being who God made us to be. For me, that’s the lesson in today’s passage. It’s an interesting narrative, which describes the three mighty heroes of King David, who’re set above the 30 men of his special forces. Today’s verse describes Jehoida, one of the 30, who was apparently quite skilled, but he did not attain to the three. He wasn’t the best, but still, he did his job for his king, and he did it well.

I’d like to be able to say that – That I did my job well. When I got out of treatment and began to turn my life around, I intended to change the world. My change-the-world fantasy was born, not out of a desire to do whatever God wanted, but out of a desire for self-promotion. At that time, I was known as an addicted physician, and I wanted to rehab my image, becoming rich and famous for recovering and for helping others recover. Over the last 10 years though, I’ve realized that I don’t have to save the world. That’s not my job. My job is simply to be obedient to God, loving those he’s put in my life, using my story to help those who’ve struggled as I have. My job is never going to make me famous, but I don’t need that to be happy. I simply need to be who God wants me to be.

*Rags, Riches, and Real Success, by Dallen Peterson