Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing DaysSample

Success at Sea

During one of my dinghy days, I sobbed to my husband, pouring out regret that I didn’t have a successful side hustle to carry me through that season of unemployment. (I had once attempted a side hustle, attending a craft fayre to flog my novelty knits. I made minus £14.20 - don’t ask!). Apparently, no one wants to buy knitted frog toilet roll holders - who knew?! In my ‘lack of side hustle’ meltdown, I stressed about not having ‘side skills’ that could catapult me to some incredible state of overnight success and rescue me from 'dinghydom'. I didn’t have a main hustle at that point, so on reflection I’m not sure why I was stressing about a side one!

God really used those dinghy days to teach me that fruitfulness and success for one person is not the same for another. Some people excel at management positions, running big businesses and engaging in creative side hustles - and that should be celebrated. But that most definitely is not me (minus £14.20, remember!) All of our different gifts are needed and valuable in the family of God. Finding your God-given calling where you are helping others and doing what you are passionate about and fulfilled in makes you fruitful.

In my quest to find fruitfulness, I also reflected on the biblical ‘fruit of the spirit’ - the qualities that God says make us fruitful people. You can have the most impressive business, job, or position in the world and not possess any of these divinely peachy qualities. Spiritual fruitfulness is not measured by our job titles, wage packets, or side hustles! Good job, or I might be in permanent des’pear’!

If I had been in a high-pressure job (complete with a successful side hustle!), I would not have been available to say yes to welcoming our girl into our family. Being a mamma by adoption is the most fruitful and fulfilling thing I’ve done. My girl being in a secure family where she is loved, chosen, cherished, and championed is a stonking success. But our Western culture tells us that fruitfulness and success are about the wages we earn and our employment and social status, and perhaps, even as believers, we’ve been blown along on that deceptive wave.

Reflection

Are you judging your fruitfulness and success in life by what God says these things look like, or by what our culture says they look like?

P.S. Drop me an email if you’re in the market for a frog toilet roll holder :)