Is It Time to Reevaluate What You’re Building?
If you have everything in your life figured out, this might not be for you. But if you are learning, growing, and reshaping—then I invite you to continue reading and join me on this journey. We’re beginning a new series about establishing a vision for our lives. It’s a chance to reflect on whether we are building a meaningful vision for ourselves or merely adding bricks to someone else’s.
Before we start charting that course, let’s pause for a moment and ask: What drives us? What do we really define as success? Are you in a season where accumulating wealth, gaining recognition as an influencer, or achieving power and status feels like the ultimate goal? There’s nothing inherently wrong with these pursuits. But if they have become your identity, you likely have a foundation that will not last.
A crucial question to ask yourself is, are you putting as much time, energy, and commitment into cultivating your faith and integrity as you are into building your career, wealth, or reputation?
As King Solomon once said: “A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.” (MSG)
Speaking from my own experience, financial ups and downs are inevitable. We’ll make and lose money throughout our lives. But here’s the truth: Your net worth should never dictate your self-worth. The two are not the same. Your value isn’t defined by what you own, and as God reminds us, the most precious things in life are not things at all.
I once had a conversation with a client who, at the time, was building the largest home in Arizona. He shared with me his story of failure—not just once, but twice. His first two software companies had collapsed. So, I asked him what he did after that. His response was simple: “I kept going.” Today, he’s the creator of something we all use—Adobe, the software behind PDFs and so much more. What stood out to me was not just his success, but the fact that he never lost sight of his character and integrity in the process, and he never gave up.
So, I ask you: What are you focusing on? Is it temporary, fragile, and ever-changing? Or is it something stable, unshakable, and eternal?
As King Solomon once said: “A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.” Rick Warren put it this way: “Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.”
Maybe it’s time to reevaluate your vision. To look deeper and ask yourself, are you living for what truly matters? When I reflect on my own life, one question motivates me—and sometimes even haunts me: What will I say when I stand before God and He asks, “What did you do with what I gave you?” What did you do with the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources you were entrusted with? Did you use them for yourself, or did you use them to serve others?
Take a moment today to reflect on your foundation. I hope you will join me in the journey of building something that will last for eternity rather than simply striving for what is short-lived and finite.
Jerry
