Endless Worth: Seeking God’s Purpose in a Success-Obsessed WorldSample

Day 5: Look the Best Way

‘If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.’ (Matthew 6:22)

I remember when I started publishing my fiction series and it was only about publishing a book; it was never about sales, career, or money. Slowly but surely, I fell headfirst into the trap of writing for validation and success. This suddenly exploded into a huge list of tasks to focus on. If it wasn’t writing a new book, it was creating social media content (along with keeping up with the trends and algorithm changes and reaching so many followers a month), seeking book reviewers, optimising an Amazon listing, and striving to book speaking engagements. And now, five years in, I’m only just starting to realise that God has only anointed me for certain aspects of this list. I don’t have to do it all.

But how can we discern what to focus on? As this verse in Matthew suggests, if our eyes are set on the right things, our entire body will emit light; we will be empowered with good fruit for good work.

This reminds me of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, who had to climb a tree to see Jesus over the noise of bustling crowds (Luke 19:1-9).

Do we need to climb a tree to see above the noise of a busy, success-obsessed world?

We may need to adjust our routines or priorities in this current season. This takes humility and repentance; traits we see Zacchaeus practise when he proclaims, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount’ (Luke 19:8).

Once we focus on what God has ordained for right now, we can rest assured that we’re going the best way, not the one that might seem right.

Prayer

Father, I pray that you will show me how to look the best way. Help me to keep focused on what you are giving grace for right now. In everything, please guide me to keep my eyes healthy and my body full of light.

Key takeaway

In your working life and your everyday activities, are you looking for the best way? Is what you’re doing nurturing the fruits of a godly life (Galatians 5:22-23)? Answer these questions honestly in prayerful repentance to God.