We are conditioned and bombarded with messages from the second we arrive in this world, positive and negative, messages of becoming a success and live up to our unlimited potential. These messages may be subtle or direct, and they become ingrained in our minds and hearts so deeply that we spend the rest of our lives chasing the success we were told and promised if we did all the right things. It happens in every culture on this planet, but here, we call it the American Dream.

People sacrifice everything in the pursuit of this promise, and when they see that some poor soul rose from the ashes and achieved what they have dreamed of, well, it serves as a reinforcement that they are in the right path, that no sacrifice is in vain. They say, “I too, will succeed.” But what happens when you have done all the right things, taken all the right steps, followed the rules, sacrificed much, and success has not materialized how you visualized it? It puzzles you, it shrinks you, it demoralizes you because deep inside you know well that you gave it your all, and more so.

Have you ever thought of something, that the piece of the puzzle that refuses to connect, to finish your picture of success has nothing to do with you? That there is nothing wrong with you, that it is not you? That you are living in an imperfect system that failed you, and not the other way around? You did not fail. You are not a failure. You did everything you learned you were supposed to do, you followed every rule, you sacrificed much more than you should have, and you gave more than one hundred percent in the pursuit of your dream. If you can honestly answer, “Yes, I did all that,” then you did not fail. You did not fail yourself, you did not fail your loved ones, and you did not fail “the system,” but the system failed you. A system that has not evolved with each new generation but that has eroded in every area possible, and has become obsolete, slowly.

Each one of us has a different journey to follow, and one doesn’t fit all. If today, you are feeling exhausted, drained, demoralized, and even without faith, don’t blame yourself for your “material failures”. There is much more to your journey here than the material success that you were sold into since you arrived at your earthly living. The One who designs everything designed your journey, and with it, it gave you the freedom to choose. Every new day that you receive only means that your journey has not ended, that there is still more to come, and that you are certainly more important in this journey of yours than the imperfect and incomplete image of success that you were presented with and sold when you didn’t know better. But now you do. You are finally free. It is not you, and you are not a failure. So, pick up your journey and invite your Designer, your Maker, your Creator into the rest of your life. But this time, knowing fully that it is not you, that you are not a failure, but a victor in Him.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3