The Value of Fruit

What is your definition of success? Is it Twitter followers? Facebook likes? Wealth? Being the best at something?

I think we all fall into believing wrong definitions of what success is more often than we like to admit. We assume that other people’s opinions or approval dictate whether or not something in our lives is a success. But what if the definition of success is simply bearing the fruit which we’ve been made to bear? 

A successful fruit tree isn’t bothered about how tall, bushy, pretty or climbable it is. These things may be extra blessings, but its success is actually how fruitful it is and how it nourishes others. 

So many of us have wrapped our identity up with our own definition of success. We find our value in a system we’ve created, and calculate our worth against this counterfeit measuring stick, instead of the heavenly pattern. I meet people all the time who are angry, broken, bitter and in despair because God has not done or given them what they want. But they are basing their value on what they think they should have been, and therefore think very little of themselves. This is not humility, this is a lie. 

We need to be secure in our identity in God, rather than looking to outside sources for affirmation, approval and worth. These are fickle, their praises are man-made and not eternal. If we insist on choosing to carry these burdens we will not be able to catch the currents that God has for us. 

When we find our identity and worth in the right places, the pressure is off. The words of man do not weigh down or dictate, and our value system and measuring stick changes dramatically! 

If we have faithfully done the assignments God has given us to the best of our ability and in partnership with him, then we have succeeded. We may never see earthly fruit, we may never receive the praises of man, we may never be held up as a success by the world’s plastic measuring stick. But we will soar, we will be taken to heights that we never could with all that weight on us, we will be shown secrets of heaven because God can trust our hearts. We will encounter the presence of God in ways many never do, because we are only interested in his affirmations and approval. 

Take some time today to really assess where you’re drawing your value from. Whose voice is affirming you the most? Where does your identity lie? Identify if your identity has been attacked, claim back the things God has spoken over your life, and start living by them.