By Minister Moses – July 2011
Asked in a UK radio interview what advice he’d given contestants of the 2006 X Factor competition, the legendary Lionel Richie replied;
’I told them that the best thing that could happen to them was to lose’.
He proceeded to explain to the somewhat baffled radio host that becoming a superstar singing sensation was not an overnight process, but took years of preparation, practice and patience.
Instant stardom from the X Factor, along with the inevitable relentless tabloid intrusion thereafter, would bear unimaginable demands and pressures upon the winning contestant that most of them would probably be unable to cope with. So, it would be better for them to lose – then, alongside their added experience, they would have the time and space to develop their craft until they gradually reached superstardom.
These were strong and perhaps unexpected words of advice, but words which are nonetheless echoed in the Bible and I believe true and relevant to every type of endeavour to success.
I’ve recently observed the growing perception, perhaps heightened by the advent of reality TV and competitions, that ‘success’ is the result of some sudden and totally unpredictable transformative event that we ourselves have little or nothing to do with; what I like to call the ‘X Factor Success’ mentality. It is when we look to a ‘Simon Cowell-esque’ figure or divine providence to thrust us into the limelight, the thinking that destiny and fulfilment are not realisations that stem from processes within, but from miracles bestowed without.
‘If I could just be seen on TV, I’ll get my break…If only God would give me the miracle of promotion…’
Unfortunately, for the hundreds-of-thousands of hopefuls lining up for auditions across the UK this summer, success rarely (if ever) comes overnight – the good news, however, is that it’s not unpredictable either. It’s certainly not in the ‘special blessing’ reserved for the elite few at the front of the church with a ‘Yes and Amen!’ for the Pastor’s every word, or the enterprising members that always seem to find themselves at the front of the queue for prayers during benediction. Rather, success lies in identifying your passion and purpose then taking the first step on a thousand mile journey toward it.
We can compare Aesop’s timeless fable, ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’, to so many examples of those, throughout history, who have lost battles along the way but triumphed in the long run to win the war. Barack Obama’s inspiring ascent to arguably the most important job in the world began with failure back in 2000 when he failed to win a seat in the American lower Parliament, whilst Nelson Mandela’s own turbulent but ultimately successful journey certainly did not run smoothly or speedily. Success is not a sprint; it is a slow and gradual realisation.
Almost every major success story in the Bible relates to those who, through daily routine over many years, walked, not catapulted into their destiny:
• Abraham started with little in Genesis 12, but by the process of unconditionally following God’s daily guidance slowly became blessed beyond imagination
• Moses in Exodus 3 was simply shepherding his flock, as he had been doing for the past 40 years, before he walked to his burning bush experience
• Saul in 1st Samuel 9 and 10 was, of all things, looking for his father’s donkeys when he came into the path of the prophet Samuel who subsequently anointed him King of Israel
• Jesus in Luke 2 grew in wisdom and stature in Nazareth for 30 years, routinely attending the synagogue before He graduated into dynamic ministry
This is a trend that repeats itself over and over again in the Bible as God prepares His people for their immortal destinies.
We see the principle again, and more explicitly, in Exodus 23 when the Israelites are about to possess their promised land of Canaan. It was, at the time, inhabited by others and God offers sound advice to the Israelites on how they ought to proceed;
‘But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.’ (NIV)
This is exactly how God will bring us to our promised land of success, ‘little by little’.
He could have given them the land instantaneously but that would have been as futile as it was dangerous as the Israelites would not have had the time to develop the capacity and maturity necessary to enjoy such a blessing, (or herd so many wildebeest).
This, in effect, is the point Lionel Richie was communicating to the X Factor hopefuls – in order to avoid having ‘firework’ careers, an explosive emergence reaching stratospheric heights before bursting into oblivion without even a shadow of a trace; wait, and make sure you’re in a position to sustain the success.
At the same time, don’t sit looking around, moping and waiting for a miracle. Abraham, Moses, Saul, Jesus and others did not fulfil their destinies by miracles; they did it through positive habits, unshakeable routines and daily progress.
What step can you make toward your goals in life today? What can you do right now?
Refuse to end each day unless you have done something, no matter how small, toward your purpose – even if it’s just spending one minute reminding yourself and picturing your future. Do something!
“The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favour to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.”
– Ecclesiastes 9:11(NIV)
