Is there such a thing as an Ambition-o-meter? A gadget that measures not only my desire to achieve, and propelling aspirations but the underlying motivations as well. There’s no question about it, there are some driven people out there! Brenda Barnes was one of them. At 43, she was one of the highest paid female executives in North America. She was President and CEO of Pepsi’s North American Division. A new work day dawned for her every morning at 3:30. Sixteen hours later, she would try to get home to spend a few minutes with her children and husband before retiring for the night. With all of that ambition, energy, drive came financial success and considerable prestige and recognition. But was she living such a lifestyle to please herself or her little family? She resigned to raise her children.
Can you imagine hooking up the Apostle Paul to the ambition-o-meter? He walks into the dimly lit room and sits in the special chair with the sounds of chirping birds, thunder, ocean waves and gurgling brooks playing in the background. The therapist attaches the little adhesive nodes to his chest and head to do some heart and mind sensing. Thirty minutes later she prints-off the results. She’s amazed at the indicators and graphs. The clarity of his focus. The energy and zeal. The things that do NOT motivate him and fail to even move the needle are so evident. This make-believe therapist would be scrambling to find the right words to gently break the news to him that he doesn’t fit with the majority of her other clients. “You seem to have one focus in life – it comes through loud and clear in all the tests. You are living to please your Lord. Nothing else seems to motivate you. You’re a rare specimen indeed!”
Paul told the Corinthians that ‘the ultimate’ for him would be to enjoy the immediate presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had heaven on his mind in 2 Corinthians 5. But then he added: “Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of HIM.” 2 Corinthians 5:9 or as the Amplified Version puts it: “Therefore, whether we are at home on earth away from Him or away from home and with Him, we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to HIM.” Then he added: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.”
What in my life gives me energy and ambition? What gets me out of bed in the morning? What propels me through the day? What am I striving earnestly to achieve? The approval of the Lord Jesus Christ in eternity or the approval of friends in this life? Am I living for eternity? Is my life anchored in eternal values? What is the source of my stamina – love to Christ?
The most rewarding assessment from a therapist would be: “You sure don’t fit the mold of the rest of my clients. You seem to be living for a higher purpose. You are marching to the beat of a different drummer. In fact I have other clients who say they are Christians – but it seems like an add-on with them. For you, it seems to be the defining feature of your life. You must really love that Man Jesus!” And you respond: “You’re dead right. I do!”