REDEFINING SUCCESS

Dr. Ed Becker [Dr. Ed Becker is co-founder of Econotech Ltd. a company that provides technical support for pulpa and paper companies.] In 1977, I thought I was successful. I owned 50 per cent of a successful business, had a Ph.D. and was married with three children. I believed I had accomplished this all through my own capability and wisdom. I thought I could accomplish anything if I just tried hard enough. My knowledge, strength of will, college degrees and busi-ness success were important to me, and I put them ahead of everything else. My 20-year-old son Alan had different priorities. He tried to tell me what Jesus Christ meant to him, but I was convinced I didn't need Him. I told Alan that I could do everything myself. I was so firm about rejecting the Christian faith that Alan told his pastor, 'My dad will never become a Christian!' As a chemical engineer, I had tried to prove or disprove the existence of God as one does chemical reactions in a lab. The tests came up empty, so I ignored God. Alan later became seriously ill and was admitted to hospital. After his heart stopped beating, I stood outside the emergency room struggling with pain, anguish and helplessness. It was here that I realized I could not do everything myself. There was nothing I could do as my son hovered on the brink of death. I didn't even know how to pray. Alan survived the cardiac arrest, but he was in the hospital for a long time suffering from a serious head infection. He told me, 'God is in charge. If God's purpose in my suffering is to bring you to Christ, then everything I'm going through is worth it.' I was astonished! I read Alan's Bible to him every day at his bedside. For the first time, I began to learn what the Bible was really about. And I began to learn about Jesus. Alan's strong belief in Jesus, combined with what I read in the Bible, made me realize that Jesus was real. He had to be who He claimed to be. Although I tried to believe that He was nothing more than a great teacher or prophet, this argument didn't stand up to the test. He claimed to be the true Son of God. I decided that Jesus must have been telling the truth, and I accepted His claims. A month later, I asked Christ to take charge of my life, to be my Lord and Saviour. I knew God wanted me to have a more meaningful life. Alan was thrilled when I told him about my decision! He had prayed for a long time that his father would know Jesus Christ and thereby receive eternal life. Three weeks after my decision, Alan went into a coma. For three days I hardly left his bedside, until finally he slipped away from life on earth to be with his Lord and Saviour. I had looked forward to sharing my new Christian life with my son, but I knew that he would now spend eternity in heaven and that I would see him again someday. Though grief-stricken, God gave my wife and me a peace and hope that surpassed all human understanding. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ, he is a 'new creation.' The old self has gone and the new has come. This certainly was true in my life. God now has first priority, fol-lowed by my wife and family, and then my business. My prin-ciples for decision-making have also changed completely. I ask God for help in making daily business decisions, and no longer rely solely on my own knowledge. I have found that God's infinite wisdom is vastly superior to my own. Best of all, there is joy in my life no matter what happens to me. I know that I have eternal life to look forward to. How do you define success? Why not ask Jesus for his definition? If you don't know Jesus, I encourage you to pray the following: Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life! http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/stories/e_becker.htm