This blog was written by my wife, Kelly. I am humbly and inexpressibly thankful to our Lord for giving me such a caring, empathetic and loving wife. It is both a privilege and honor to be able to serve the Lord alongside of her. She truly is a ministry partner. She is a woman who is filled with wisdom and compassion. I praise the Lord for her love and care in both ministry and our family life. To God be the glory! I pray that her insight is a blessing to you as you read her words.
Just recently I read a very encouraging article based on Philippians 3:4-9. It speaks of Paul’s credentials and many achievements which would qualify him for the ministry. Paul writes, “For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Messiah.” He compares his life’s work to the privilege of knowing his Savior.
The article then brought into focus our own lives and the many things that we hold so dearly- our accomplishments and achievements asking the question: do “they draw us closer to Messiah or distract us from Him”? The article went on the point out, “When our worth is rooted in our achievements, we miss the liberating grace found in what Jesus has already done.”[1] What a powerful thing to consider. When we give ourselves too much credit, essentially we take away from the grace of Jesus.
After considering these things, I realized that we are not our achievements. Our successes should be the vessels that allow us to spread the gospel. They should be the very things in our lives that point others to Jesus. God gives us opportunities and achievements as a way to shine His light in different ways. These successes help point us to walk out His plan for our lives. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
Some people may say I see the glass half empty, but I think there is value in thinking about things from different perspectives. While our achievements don’t define us, neither do our failures. Achievement and successes have importance in our lives, but I believe failure has purpose as well. Throughout our lives we will experience failure. We must remember that when those times come, we cannot allow failure to define us any more than we allow success to define us. Sometime through failure we come to realize that His Grace is sufficient for us. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
No matter what we face, whether it be success or failure, may it all point to the glory of Jesus in our lives. It is then that we will learn to be content in all situations. To God be the glory!
- Kelly
[1] Elwell, Justin Th.D., Losing to Gain, (June 24, 2025) https://themountainmensch.com/2025/06/24/losing-to-gain/ accessed on July 1, 2025
Corby Shuey 