Way too many people in this country think that success is achieved by receiving some kind of “lucky break.” And its true, most massively successful people, and it has been my fortune to know several in several fields, have some right time, right place story to tell. But that has to be held in view while also holding in view the people that have also been in the right place at the right time and it never resulted anything. Then there are all the people that hit the right place, right time, seemed headed for the stratosphere and then just blew up somewhere along the line. I could go on like this for a while. Breaks are one thing, luck is another altogether.
People think most people of large wealth inherited it. That’s just nonsense. But even those lucky few that do inherit massive wealth have to work very hard to manage it. Managing wealth is as hard as gaining it. Bernie Sanders walks around talking about the wealthy as if they are monsters, just preying upon the less fortunate. What utter drivel.
And so we have a large group of people in this nation looking for their “break” instead of working their hind ends off. People thinking it is up to government to balance the scales rather than up to them to get busy and earn what they need. It’s funny, even the church as had to deal with this problem. Early in the life of Christianity the Apostle Paul wrote to the fledgling church in Thessalonica:
Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined way among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a role model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread. But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good.
That’s harsh, is it not? We can argue until the cow’s come home about who is a freeloader and who is simply a victim of misfortune, but Paul’s point is clear – we are under no obligation to care for the freeloader – the person that thinks, “I just need a break” and then sits around waiting for that break instead of pursuing it.
I am sure to be dismissed here with a wave and some utterance about “the myth of the Christian work ethic.” I am sure to be discounted as lacking compassion. But I did not write this – the Apostle Paul wrote it and it made it into the scriptural canon. We have to deal with it, we cannot ignore it.
Here’s what I know. I have enjoyed far greater success than I ever dreamed of. Did I receive some breaks? Oh, to be sure. But I worked myself to the bone to capitalize on them – as did everyone else I know that considers themselves successful. The breaks and the work form a balance – a balance between the pride of accomplishment and the humility of knowing it does not all rest on my shoulders. And so I have discovered it is not about the success, it is about the character I develop in my success. And that is what Paul is talking about, not money or the lack thereof – it is about character. We need both hard work and blessing to develop character.
This nation is changing radically right now. Would that it changes to focusing on character formation.
