Day 4: The Fear of Success

So this one's a bit late but it's still going to make it in, and day 5 for me will be on schedule. 
One thing most people don't consider is the fear of success. It sounds crazy I know, but it's a reality for many. We  get cozy in our ruts, and tend to not want to wander too far from our comfort zones, if at all. It can feel safer, staying in our little box. 
I could choose to let the past define me, or I can choose to break free from my past and do something different. That cannot happen in my safety net though. Believe me, I've tried. Many times.
       It can be scary to step out into what is unknown. We trust what we know and what we see. But Hebrews 11:1-3 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible."
Let's just think about that for a minute.
It takes faith, to believe in the unknown or the unseen. It takes trust in God, to know that He is in control. How is it ever possible to learn to grow in that trust, if we remain in our safe little bubbles? If we never step out in faith, how will we ever know the boundless limits of His grace, His mercies, His infinite wisdom and power? 
  I admit, I was afraid of success. Even though I craved it and enjoyed it, I felt safer playing the victim and living under a shell. But I was miserable. I still faced disappointment, discouragement, depression. And I was still hurt by others. I know that pain and struggles and suffering in this life will never end. Not that I'm trying to be negative or get you down, just that in reality, life is hard, and is doesn't get easy. Relationships are hard. Faith is hard, even for the most religious or spiritual of people. Commitment is tough, letting go, can be impossible. And real success isn't measured by your bank account or the things you own or the number of people you think you can impress by your education or wealth or possessions or worldly intelligence. By those standards, I considered myself a failure. I would never reach those goals. But real success is using what we have, not wanting more. 
Some days, that which we have is nothing more than God Himself.
So I looked for a verse for this and what I found was that the common thread in measuring success in scripture was that we walked in obedience to God.
1 Kings 2:4 “And keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
So the fear I had of success was false. Because the success was false. And the failure I feel, therefore, is false.