The CEAA conference was a real blessing. Having really never attended a Christian conference focusing on the marketplace, I really did not know what to expect. God really opened my eyes to how I really should view work and the real meaning of success.
Prior to this conference, I had several conceptions of what to do work was all about. We go to school study hard and then we work hard to get good grades. After we get good grades we get a good job and then we work hard and well to make more money. The harder we work the more successful we will be.
Upon attending this conference, I was dazzled by the success of the individual mentors and attendees at the conference. They had PhD’s and M.B.A.’s at prestigious schools owned or funded businesses, they were CEO’s and executives at major corporations. They were very successful in the eyes of the world and had everything that I thought of as success. These were people that I aspired to be. However, to my surprise each of them humbly confessed that all their success was given and provided for by God.
It was then at the first speaking session Pastor Yih opened my eyes to how God really views our work. God calls us to have an eternal perspective not focusing on the temporal. There were three important points that Pastor Yih brought up.
1)We do not work to earn a living. Only God is in the business of meeting our needs. (Matthew 6:25)
2)We do not work to gain significance. A Christian gets his/her significance from God. All things are rubbish so that we can gain Christ (Philippians 3:22-24)
3)We must realize that our primary goal is to serve people and to serve God at work. Christianity must work at work. (Mark 10:45)
All of these things were a shocker to me. I worked hard to earn a living to buy things for myself. I worked hard so my bosses can notice me and reward me. I thought my goals were to make my company more successful and myself more successful. Throughout my upbringing I was taught hard work would mean success. In the back of my mind, I thought God would honor that.
I realize now that there is no value in work unless God Himself gives it value. God gives value to only eternal things. Our careers are a temporal thing and do not last forever. Only God and His promises last forever.
Success in God's eyes is to serve Him in every way possible. This is what has the most meaning, this is true success. This was the most significant thing I learned at this conference and I thank everyone for their prayers and support.
