So many times have I heard of somebody who, because of success, had a change in way of life. Unfortunately, the change was not always for the good but at times was for the bad.
No, I do not mean that it is bad to be successful. I mean, success does not always lead to happiness, or goodness, or contentment. If not handled well, it can make one very proud, alone, and lonely. It can destroy relationships like marriages, families, friendship, and even faith!
There is always the tendency to work and work and strive so hard to produce and be successful. We always have that drive to excel. We always want more. "Strike while the iron is hot!" "Make hay while the sun shines." "Seize every opportunity. It may never come again." Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Hand in hand with success are temptations. Many opportunities are opened with new successes. Some of these opportunities are like "land mines" that may blow anyone who step on them. Success, when not handled and managed well maybe a curse and not a blessing.
I know of one doctor who lived a simple life before. He has a very happy family. He always had time with his wife and children. All of these changed when he became more successful in his profession. He became very capable financially, met a lot of new acquaintances, and got involved with some vices. Worst, he got a mistress. Since then, his whole life became complicated and miserable. He lost his wife, alienated his children, clients became rare, and he was remiss in his profession. The success that should have made him contented and happy made him deserted and sad.
This should remind us that temptations are always present all the time. Just like the devil who tempted the Lord Jesus on the mountain; after trying so many times, it stopped for a while and waited for the proper time. The proper time is when Jesus was weak. The proper time was when Jesus was in need to obey His Father. That is why it reappeared in the Jesus' agony in the garden. Jesus was making the decision to go through His death and suffering. The devil was trying to seduce Jesus not to go through it, i.e. disobey His Father's Will. Recognizing the situation, which was symbolized by the offer of the cup of wine, Jesus drank it in agreement to the plan for Him to suffer and die on the cross.
Each of us will always have that situation. We must imitate Jesus in not being seduced by the devil's offer but embracing God's saving Will. In that way, everything in our life, specially successes, would be a blessing and not a curse.
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