Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing Daysਨਮੂਨਾ

Climb the rigging or scrub the decks?

I came across a definition of success in my dinghy that I really loved. It was from Pete Scazzero’s book ‘Emotionally Healthy Discipleship’ where he says: “Success, according to Scripture, is becoming the person God calls you to become, and doing what God calls you to do – in His way, and according to His timetable”. Challenging!

I had mistakenly perceived success as a ladder to be climbed. Previously, I had always gone up a step in each job I’d had, be that a bit of a pay increase or more responsibility etc. I think I had wrongly interpreted the scripture about going from ‘one degree of glory to another’ as taking another step up some metaphorical ladder and thus feeling I was becoming more ‘successful’.

Could it be that ‘climbing the rigging’ is not necessarily the best way to reach success? Could a step down a peg or two in terms of status and pay actually teach me a whole lot more in terms of depth of faith and character than going up ever could? Perhaps ‘glory to glory’ isn’t about being elevated personally, but rather about getting closer to Jesus, regardless of whether I am going up or down a socially constructed ladder of success?! Perhaps ‘scrubbing the decks’ in service and wrestling with issues of identity, significance, and purpose can help me to grow up in my faith more than a nice new job with a generous new paycheck would?

In my dinghy, I attempted to reframe success. I tried to resist the temptation to feel self-pity because I was unemployed and ‘unsuccessful’ in my search for a new career. I tried to pose questions to myself along the lines of;

‘Am I following the example of my master Jesus, and scrubbing the decks?'

‘Am I washing the feet of others in service as Jesus did?’

‘Am I living in a place of surrender and willingness to do whatever he calls me to, even if it gives me no worldly success or status whatsoever?’

So ‘deck’ yourself before you wreck yourself! Down on the decks really can be one of the most spiritually fruitful places to be.

Service is not just for our dinghy days, it’s intrinsic to the life of a Jesus follower. Scrubbing the decks and washing the grubby feet that walk upon them is a permanent part of the job description for Christians.

Reflection

In what small ways can you ‘scrub the decks’ or ‘wash the feet of others’ in service today?