What Does Success Actually Look Like? - #023

What does it really mean to be successful? Is success measured by influence, wealth, and accomplishments or is there a deeper definition that lasts beyond this life? 
In this episode, we're talking about what success truly means through a biblical lens. We'll explore whether success is about what we achieve or who we're becoming, why faithfulness matters more than recognition, and how living for God's glory changes the way we measure a life well lived. Join us as we challenge the world's definition of success and discover what it means to pursue the kind of life that God calls successful. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Hey everybody. Welcome back to Infills Podcast. Is it recording for sure? Because my these headphones or anything. Okay, now I can hear. Sorry, I couldn't hear my voice talking. What's up, everybody? I'm Amber. I am Melissa. I hope that I hope that I'm Melissa. I hope that you guys had such a lovely week and you're bringing in. Can you hear my gum? Yeah. It's stuck in my mouth. It's a new piece, too. That's unfortunate. Anyways, I hope you guys have a great weekend. This is the weirdest start. Why is it so weird? I don't know. It's just very choppy. Well, you told me to take out my gum. Anyways. Sorry. Welcome back to the pod. I already said it. I'm Amber. That's my sister, Alyssa. For those of you who don't know us, I sound like I'm about to start a bridesmaid speech. For those of you who don't know me, speaking of witch. Oh yeah. It's coming up as a new one on Friday. That's so exciting. Yeah. I already told her that I didn't want to do it and I tried to get out of it and maybe like record a video or something. That's even worse, especially like if you have to watch it. No, I would rather do that than speak on a microphone. I've never spoken on a microphone. Well, at least you've had some practice over these last seven months with these microphones. Yeah, but it hasn't amplified my voice anywhere. I can't even wear the headphones because I don't want to hear my voice. I have what's that? What's that called? Whenever you oh, exposure therapy to myself with these headphones. And now I prefer it. So maybe I'll try it just to help me into it. Because I don't feel like we record before the wedding. No, we don't. Hello, you guys. For those of you who don't know me, I'm taking these pack off. I really think it would have helped. I don't care. I'm just gonna do like a quick one-minute thing. She knows my heart. I don't have to prove it to anybody. You can just read it off your phone. That's what I did. Life up I hate calling them life updates. This is what we've done this past week. I feel like we should call it things on my mind slash things I want to share. Because they're not even updates. It's not even a mediocre life update. It's just random things that I feel like sharing. Okay, so what's that? What's on your mind, Mama? Yeah. So, well, the first one is we went to the beach. This one is an update. We did go to the beach last weekend. It was very nice. We had that on our bucket list this summer. Well, kind of. I had like watercolor on the beach or some crap like that. I didn't have time to bring to stick my watercolors in my bag. But I could have had time. I know. I really could well no, because I remember I came from your house and I had like 10 minutes to get ready. I hardly even packed correctly. But the beach was so lovely. It was so nice. Like the water was like bathwater. It was so warm. But not quite like bathwater. It was it was a little bit cool. Like a lukewarm bath. Because sometimes, like in the middle of the summer, it gets really gross and like actually warm. See, that's what I would like. No, I like it to be like lukewarm, but a little bit chilled. Well, it was lovely. There was one part of the evening where Alyssa was off taking photos with her client, and me and my mom were sitting there and I went in the water. And I don't know, for some reason, like the older I get, the more I feel like I'm scared of like sharks and things in the water. I feel like when I was younger, I would just like frolic into the sea. And now I am very scared. And so I was going into the water and I saw a fin swim by. And I immediately just like got back, but I was in such shock because I genuinely thought it was a shark. I stepped back. I didn't even like something that's haunting me is I didn't even warn anybody. I just stepped back and I'm just like uh uh uh just like watching it, and I was like, oh wait, I think that's a dolphin, but I was very unsure. And I think it was because there's often dolphins at that specific yeah, well, every nobody else, I was looking around, but okay, no one else is freaking out. Did they see it? Yes, like that crew that was on the other side, they saw it, and I don't think that it was like a dad and his his his son, and I don't think they saw it, and I'm like, d do I like tell them that there could possibly be a shark, but it was fun, it was a nice little beach day. We went to pass the girls, very cute, yes, and you know that's how fear can ruin a moment, yeah. Except I feel like it would have been so cool. You're in the water with the dolphin. Okay, but this is where the whole remember on the car ride home, we were talking about apex predators, that's where that whole conversation started. A dolphin is a predator, yeah. They're not gonna eat a human, maybe if they were bored enough. Okay, maybe. Yeah, you never know. Well, we don't live by fear, we live by faith. I feel like I had a right to be a little scared because like it was. I was evening feeding time, for sure. There are all a lot of factors lining up there, okay. Um, what did I do this week? Let's see. Oh, I don't really have any updates. This is just Do you have anything you want to share? Sure. I realize that I don't really take photos head-on. And it's it's a problem. I always take pictures to the side. I did notice that about you. I do the same thing, but I was looking at your profile. I know. Yeah, they're all like looking that way. I look to my right. Yeah. Because I like the side of my face better. Yeah. And I often have my eyes closed. Yeah, you're always like this. Yes. That's your pose. But I want to stop. It's just a habit. Honestly. Because I know that I'll like the picture. After I looked at your profile, I went back and I looked at mine to compare. I'm like, I'm thinking. It was like really a thing that you're looking into. Yeah. Because I was like, oh, all of her photos, she's facing that way. And so I looked at mine and I'm like, so am I. It's just easier than like facing the camera. What is this? A mug shot? Yeah. That's what it feels like. Yeah. Like, how do you just like look directly into the camera and like have it be a good picture? You don't. Anyway, so that's something I'm working on. Take more therapy on photos. I'm gonna post a mug mugshot this week. A straight-on photo with flash in the in a dark room, and then you post that. My next little update, I guess, is I finished my guys, I'm bringing it all the way back to pottery. I'm still in this pottery class, and I finally like all my things got fired and I finally got to glaze everything. And I picked up also something I got to glaze before, but I picked up my coasters, and they are so cute. I sent you guys, I share everything in the family group chat because I have no one else to talk to, but the coasters are so cute because I've absolutely just ruined, desecrated the table in my my coffee table with like Yeah, you didn't know. The one that you worked oh so hard on. Yeah, that coffee table that I was going on and on about, it's ruined because I keep setting drinks and there's rings all over my table. So I made myself coasters and they are super cute. I'm on a whole foods diet as of the last two days. I eat my whole meal. I eat the whole thing. No, so I'm actually my mind's in the right place. I feel like I've talked a lot of crud on this podcast where I'm want to do this, want to do that, never follow through. I've been in the gym. This is my second week in the gym. I go every day, I'm trying to make it a little habit, muscle memory. What's that thing they do with the dog? Pavlov's. Pavlov's dogs. I don't know. Whatever that's conditioning. Classical conditioning myself to go to the gym after work every day. So each day that I go to work, I'm going to the gym. You start drooling as soon as it's as soon as I think of the YMCA. No, I was dreaming of the sauna earlier, but the sauna hits so pleasantly. Yeah. Like in the fall/slash winter. Oh, in the winter, it's so so nice. If you bike or like cycle for a while and then get in the sauna and go outside, your body feels minty. It's like the most refreshing thing. Menthol. It's giving menthol. Yeah. So I feel like I need to like kind of come up with some core recipes that I'm really vibing with because right now I made a recipe last night, and I kid you not, like I almost puked. It was so nasty. It was like, I must have been so hungry watching it on YouTube or on Instagram because it looked so good there. I fell victim to that with the healthy dessert. Yeah. The healthy desserts don't even fall for that, everybody. It was uh cottage cheese brownies. No, I wish that I could find that person and flick them. That is that was a salty brownie. It was disgusting. It was so bad. It like actually really ticked me off. No, that's nasty. And I didn't tell anybody like what type of brownies they were, and I let them sit on the counter and no one ate them. They tried it and they said, no, never mind. So it was like this turmeric chicken, which I don't even like mess around with turmeric, but I was like, you know what? It's healthy for you. It's yellow, it looks healthy. It was like turmeric, and then I put this stuff called tahini in there. Remember, I was raving on the phone about I just got tahini. I don't even know what it is. Yeah, well, don't buy it. Tastes like garbage. It's like ground-up sesame. Subjectively, I don't even know that's a word. No, it's like theoretically, I feel like it could be good in tahini. Yes. In like different kind of dish. Because it was like sesame seed like paste almost. It was weird. It's like a paste, it's not a seasoning. No, no, that's tahine. That's on the room. Like a glass or something, I think. I was gonna say a lot of people like that. Yeah, no, that's not what it was. But I'll keep you guys updated, even though you probably don't want to be updated on my whole foods journey. Yes, I am not online yet, but I'm working on it. Did a Walmart delivery last evening. Oh, speaking of, I got this Walmart delivery. They haven't delivered to our house all these years because it's so far out in the woods. And they finally do, so I got it delivered. First of all, mom got mad at me. She's like, you're gonna get us robbed and killed. She literally got Kroger delivery. Yeah, well, I don't know what the But because it's Walmart, she says no. Yeah, she legit got mad at me, told me not to do that again. I need to go to the store. I didn't have the time. That's why I got it delivered. Dang. Anyways, half of my order like was not there, but I got somebody else's order. It was probably the same person's order that I got. Because I got some weird, like, cheesecake filling stuff, like some strawberry cheesecake filling last night. I immediately threw in that. I got like ranch mix and gluten-free cheese it's that's useful too. And then she left, and I was realizing that this stuff is not mine, and then I heard a knock on the door, and it was her. So I gathered the stuff up really quick and I went out there to try to tell her she's already gone. But she left more stuff. That wasn't yours? Yeah. She left like a pack of Gatorade, zero Gatorade. Okay, those are all things that I feel like you guys could use. Yeah. Thanks, but not Whole Foods. She likes turned around because she left, fully left. Turned around just to drop something off that still wasn't mine. That's funny. The last thing I'll say is we have a new pet at Bella Cosa. It's a little puppy that showed up the other day. Quick rundown that nobody asked for. I showed up to work the other day, and I was scared to get out of the car because I thought it was a coyote running towards the car. And it was just like this little dog, and it's ugly as sin, but she's cute. I just don't believe in calling dogs ugly. It's an ugly. It's a sweet little angel. It is cute in her own way. I do, yeah. I think she's cute in the sense that she's sweet. She's an ugly little dog. I thought it was a coyote. But, anyways, I was scared. I had eggs in my going to work? Yeah, I'd bring my breakfast to work. So I had eggs and then I like, oh. What's the word I'm trying to think of? Oh, given it. I gave it to her. And then I knew that she was a big thing. They weren't boiled, correct? No. Can dogs not have boiled eggs? No, just making sure you're not eating that in your office. Because dad had boiled eggs the other morning in the office, and I walked in, said, it stinks. It does not smell right. No, I did do that a couple of times, but I'm the first one in the office.

unknown 15:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

And they probably walk in, they think that I have something wrong with my belly. Yeah. For lack of a better phrase. Probably think I have some sort of condition. A virus, if you will.

unknown 15:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Speaking, well, I'm not gonna speak of that, but just wash your produce. What do you mean? Have you seen like that parasite going around? Oh the yeah, we won't parasite. No, don't say that. But yeah. That's just what I've seen it calls. Yeah. That that specific parasite, that is so scary. I haven't seen much about it. I've just seen that it's like going around. It's called like colo something with a C. You know, I saw not to get political, I saw something about Ebola going around. I don't know what that is really. Did it didn't it come around like a long time ago? I think it's just like a bacteria, maybe. No, that's E. coli. Sorry. I don't know. That's true either. We're spreading false news. No, but I did see something from Facebook. Said something about Ebola outbreak. They just can't get nothing to stick these days. No. They're trying everything. What happened to the cruise ship? All the people the Hontavirus or whatever. Hanta, yeah. Hunta. I don't know. Okay. Well, today we're talking about success. Insert money signs.

unknown 16:56

No.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

No. It's just like, what does it mean to be successful? And I think that we're both coming from more of like a biblical, like Christian standpoint, like what I personally feel like it means to be successful in my life. And like what success could look like or does look like. I don't know. There, oh, there are people in here. Oh, hi Ben. I see you, Ben. That's like a uh what's that called? Inception. Yeah. It is 558. And I see you, Ben. Hey. No, but okay, so how would you describe it? I think that there, I think that success is subjective. And there's different types of success. Very accurate, very accurate. A couple just right off the bat. I think there's success in your career. Financial success, relationship success, spiritual success. I started having it after turning into Joel's and health success. Yes. Yes. What about you? Miner off the bat. I'm just spitballing here. Okay, so this is like my version, I guess, and like things that I want to be in. Amber's version. Success, Amber's version. Things that I just kind of wanted to be successful in, and like what I feel like makes me I can't say the word successful again. Sorry, everybody. Okay, so living within God's will and like genuinely being okay with it is my version of being successful. And not only okay with it, but grateful for it. Like when I make it there, that's when I feel like I'm I've made it successful. Yeah. Successful. My version of success spiritually is like living a life that reflects Jesus. Yeah. And that like could be an example to other people. I think if you're just living in God's will and whatnot, that will lead to success. That was my next one. Oh wait, no. That's what I said. Sorry. I was reading, I was like, I saw a paragraph before. I don't know what the heck I wrote. But yeah, living within God's will. I was talking to Demi about this the other day. Like right now, I feel like we're talking about like walls. And I feel like there are these walls that these hypothetical walls that are up. And like I feel like how do I put this into words where I don't sound dumb? Like I just want to like knock down all the walls. It'll be like walls of like fear, walls of like insecurity, walls of rejection, walls of just like I'm scared to do this, this, or that or like even just like just like walls, like scared blocks, like roadblocks from Jesus. I feel like all of those things are things that are blocking me from fully living within like his plan and his will. Not necessarily like his plan, but like in close proximity to him. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? Or am I just like kind of babbling? Like you have a direct line to him. Yes. And I feel like there's like these different things. But it's like, I see, like, I don't know, think of just like a person, like a really good, like mentor, someone that you see that has an amazing relationship with the Lord. Like, it looks like they they have like this success. Like, it just seems like they're on the other side of these walls. And it's like, this is just like a visual that I'm thinking in my head, but it's like, how do you get to that other side of the wall? Like, how do you like march enough or shout enough to like get Jericho down? Like, I don't know how to like get to the other side. Where it's like, once I'm on the other side, then I'm like fully aligned with the Lord. But I don't think that's what it looks like. Yeah, I don't think there's like another side or the other side. I think it's just a work in progress, always. Yeah. There's not gonna be a moment where you're like, ah, I didn't made it until sit back. We're in heaven. Yeah, that's true. I don't know. That's what I'm that's I don't know. I had that thought the other day, and this first one of like living within God's will and like genuinely being okay and grateful for it. I'm thinking of like those walls. I don't really know how they connect. But it makes sense in my head, okay? I feel that. What's your next one? I don't know if you have like a list or I don't think that we like prepared in the same way. Oh, just share what you have. I did. The different types of success. Okay. And that's really what I have. My next one is having the fruits of the spirit and like living according to those. So like having joy and peace and patience and all the things. Goodness. What is the other one? Goodness, gentleness, gentleness. Yeah, like just like being in all those. And it all kind of like ties to my first one, like to be just fully aligned. Yes. And like ultimately, that's my version of success is just being fully aligned with the Lord and what he's doing and what he wants me to do in this life. My next one is like this one's a little bit more like earthly, but having family and friends that love me. Yeah. Because I feel like relationship success. Like having a healthy marriage, strong friendships, good community. Yes. And I feel like that also says a lot about like what you put out into the community. Yeah. Like if you have a lot of people like around you that love you and support you, that says a lot about you. Exactly. And that kind of goes with my next point. Like loving my neighbor as myself is another version of success because that's probably the hardest thing to do in this life. Yeah. Because people aren't always people be crazy. Yeah. And I wanted to. Can I look at your Bible? I forgot mine in the car. Because I wanted to share Matthew 20. Matthew, Mark. It's me. It's me, hello. Okay, so Matthew 20. I will read verse. Well, the whole like little chap, not chapter, but the story is titled Greatness is serving. And I feel like that goes with loving your neighbor as yourself. So verses 26 through 28, it says, Yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be the first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Obviously, he's the ultimate sacrifice. He came to serve us. And I feel like one of the most beautiful ways to like replicate, or I shouldn't say replicate, but like try to be as much like Jesus as possible is to like have a servant's heart and to serve others. Yeah. And I feel not just to do it, but like to enjoy it. Yes. Yes. And I feel like that feeling inside that you get after, like where you're like a little happy and you're like, wow, I helped them and like I'm proud of myself. And like I feel like that is success. Like you've made it. And it like helps you to take off the attention or whatever from yourself. Yeah. So you're not focused on like exactly I this and like focus on things that you don't have. Instead, you're focused on helping others, and it kind of helps you to see that like you are blessed in your own way. Yeah. I and it kind of is funny how I like kind of came up with that point because today I text, or because I was talking to Sam the other day in the car, and she's like basically just like brought up how, oh, you should do this with me at the church. And I'm like, yeah, sure. I am willing to help because I've been just like wanting to get more involved. I feel like I just have not been as involved like as we were like at our old church. And like I served like all the time at Heartland. And I feel like I'm not as in I'm involved with like the fact that I like help out with things and like know people and stuff. But I'm like, you know what? Like I feel like I focus so much like on myself, and it's actually getting to the point where it's annoying me. Yeah. Like I'm exhausted. I'm like, I don't want to do this. Like, I just want to go like volunteer to food shelter. Yeah. And so today I texted and catch a girl on the cameras on the live stream. I at least I think that's what I'm doing. I'm sorry. I misunderstood what you're doing. You're just controlling the cameras. Yeah. Oh. Yeah. So yeah. If you very cool. Videographer. Yeah, if you will. I don't even know how to turn my phone on sometimes, but whatever. No, but I'm excited. Like, I just want to like, and I've been wanting to like volunteer at like I don't know, different places around the community. I just feel like that you just leave with such a sense of like, you know what, maybe I am making a difference. Yeah. I thought that. And I made a note here to leave with this. Basically, just like shifting to an eternal purpose. Like, don't to to not store up treasures in this world. Like, so success might not necessarily mean like having all the nicest things, the nicest car, whatever. Like, our treasures are in heaven. And that also saves you from so much anxiety. Whether that's like because you're not performing well enough or whatever, but you can just kind of rest in God's plan for your life and his grace. Yeah. You don't have to strive. Yeah, there was a verse I wanted to read. Okay, so it's Matthew 6, verse 19. It says, Do not lay up, do not lay up, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and dust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And it's also like dude, this is so temporary. Like you're not getting into heaven with your like you're not bringing your brand new G Wagon into G Wagon. However, nice that. That would be nice though. You know what? The Lord knows my heart. Maybe I'll have one up there in my mansion. But like you're not bringing that stuff. Yeah. It's in the grand scheme of things, pointless. Yeah. I feel like just having that eternal perspective and just like remembering, like, hey, it's a lot bigger than question. Do you think it's wrong for somebody to have to want like financial success? No. Not at all. Like you can still want those things, but I don't think it's like everything. Everything. You don't have to like sell everything you own, be a missionary in a third world country, like if you are not called to that. Like people are called like to different things. Like we're all gonna have different lifestyles. Like I mean, the goal for everybody is to be able to survive and like provide for their families. And of course you want those things, but I feel like as long as you're aware that those and you stored it well, yeah, like is the difference. Exactly. The reason, the heart behind it, I guess. Yeah, and it's like you know who got you there, type of thing. Yeah. Anyway, okay, period. Period. So that's all I have to share. Do you have anything else to say? That is pretty much all I have as well. Okay. Oh, by the way, guys, we will be taking a break in August. So the month of August, you will not hear from us. So don't forget. Do not call me D baby. Don't come by my house. I'm just kidding. You can text me, please. My bone dry. Dry the bone. Yeah. But we will talk to you next week. Bye. Bye.