Climbing the Ladder of Success

Climbing the Ladder of Success

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Joshua 1:8).

He came to my office several times. It was obvious that he was looking for answers. Most people would have looked at him and even envied him because, outwardly, he was the epitome of success. I must admit, I too was a bit envious. Each time he came to visit me, he was driving a different car. Being a motorhead myself, I was in awe of his collection of rare, high-performance automobiles.

During our first couple of visits, we spent our time simply getting to know one another. It felt as though he was determining whether I could be trusted with the questions he wanted to ask.

He grew up in an upper-middle-class California home. He was a good student and a good athlete who experienced some success along his journey. He had parents who supported him and his endeavors. He was challenged to be the best at whatever he set his mind to do. After high school, he attended a prestigious college and earned a degree in business administration. He then attended graduate school, where he earned an MBA.

He landed a job that most people would dream of having, and soon he was experiencing significant financial rewards. This led to the purchase of a big house with a big garage—one with plenty of room for his cars.

Again, I say, outwardly he had it all; inwardly, he was empty and unfulfilled. These facts puzzled him because he had done everything that everyone had told him to do in order to become a successful businessman. He worked hard at climbing the ladder of success, and he made it to the top.

But when he reached the top, the fulfillment he expected to find in position, financial success, houses, cars, and land eluded him. He began to experience great disappointment because none of these accomplishments were meeting his inner needs. This inner discontent is what brought him through my door.

During one of our discussions, he lamented the fact that he had done everything right to become a success, and now that he had attained it, it was—as Solomon wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes—“all vanity and striving after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:26; 4:4, 16).

He then went on to say something I have never forgotten—one of the most profound discoveries ever confessed to me as a pastoral counselor: “Pastor, I climbed the ladder of success to the top, and when I got there, it was empty. It was then that I realized my ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.”

My friend had discovered that chasing the world’s definition of success and prosperity did not bring contentment to his heart, or what the Hebrews call shalom. Shalom is a deep inner peace and contentment that comes from being in right relationship with one’s Creator—God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.

I began this article with the words of Joshua. In those words, he spelled out the recipe for success: “This Book of the Law [God’s Word] shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

Moses spoke virtually the same words to the children of Israel just before they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land: “Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.”—Deuteronomy 30:9–10

Jesus identified the Great Commandment as: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Mark 12:29–30). He then called us to seek God first: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

You might ask, “What are all these things?” They are the necessities of spiritual, emotional, and physical life.

God is not against material prosperity and success. He even promises it to those who seek Him before all other pursuits and interests. But it is only when He fills our inner life with His peace that we can possess things without making them our gods and surrounding them with unreal expectations.

Pile on prosperity and success without the inner peace that only God can give, and you, too, may begin to think: “My ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”