Putting Ambition In Its Place

Ambition needs to be put in its place.

Not because ambition itself is bad. I actually think we should be incredibly ambitious about the things God has called us to do!

But ambition by itself asks, “How much can I become …. achieve …. build … earn?” It’s about me and what I want to acquire. At times, it’s also aimless. It’s just a hunger for greater.

Stewardship asks, “What has God entrusted to me, and what does doing well by God with it look like?”

Stewardship gives ambition direction. It tells ambition what to chase.

If God has called you to build something, build the crap out of it. If He has given you a family, be ambitious about becoming an incredible spouse and parent.

If He has given you artistic ability, make beautiful things. If He has put close people in your life, love them deeply (John 13:34-35, Galatians 6:2). If He has given you the capacity to lead thousands of people, lead!

The question isn’t whether you should have drive. Drive is good. Work is good. Heck, the first thing God did after He created Adam was he put him to work and had him take ownership over naming animals. God is not anti drive. The question is what comes first: your drive, or your stewardship.

From the outside looking in, a life of mere ambition and a life of correct stewardship can look the same. Both people work hard, both build something significant, both develop their abilities, both make money, both lead people. But what’s driving them is different.

Ambition has a difficult time answering, when is enough enough? More money? More recognition? Bigger company? Another accomplishment? There is a sense of striving.

If the underlying operating system is simply hunger, success doesn’t resolve the hunger. A lot of times, it just increases the appetite.

Stewardship gives you a different set of questions.

Is what I’m doing bringing me closer to God? Is my day-to-day lining up with the rhythm of life God has created? Am I using my talents, time, body, and mouth for God’s purposes or mostly for myself?

That doesn’t make life easy. The Bible is full of suffering. Running the race God has given you doesn’t mean you won’t feel exhausted, afraid, or unsure.

But there’s a peace in knowing, I’m right where I need to be. This is what He has put in my hands. The work will still be hard. You will still be hurting in seasons. But… you will have peace amidst the hard.

Stewardship doesn’t necessarily mean smallness, either. In Matthew 25:15–29, the parable of the talents is almost aggressively anti-passivity. The servants receive different amounts, but all are expected to do something with what they’ve received. We’re all given this potential energy, and God entrusts us to turn it into kinetic.

Some of us are called to be CEOs, astronauts, millionaires. Others, stay-at-home moms, painters, shift workers. Wherever we’re placed, God has given us an environment and abilities to steward for the good of His kingdom and people.

The point is to get to the end of your race and have God say:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Not, “Well done, you became more impressive than everyone else. You were always chasing! 💪🏻 … just not what I put you on that earth to chase.”

And stewardship makes life multidimensional in a way mere ambition often doesn’t.

If you build an incredible company but neglect your wife, that’s not excellent stewardship. If you make millions but your kids barely know you, the financial scorecard doesn’t erase the family one.

If you pour everything into your immediate family but never use abilities God gave you to serve or build anyone or anyting outside your home, there is something left unstewarded there too.

Other people’s assignments don’t determine yours.

Someone else may have been entrusted with a massive organization and enormous public influence. Someone else may have been entrusted primarily with a family, a neighborhood, a church community, and a handful of people they deeply love.

Don’t measure your faithfulness by comparing the apparent size of the assignments. Look inward and ask “Am I running the race God gave me and only me.”

Ask yourself:

What has actually been put in my hands?

Your knowledge of God.

Your wife and kids.

Your friendships.

Your body.

Your time

Your money.

Your work.

Your abilities.

Your opportunities.

And then pray I don’t want ambition to be my compass. I want faithfulness to stewarding what You have given me to be my compass.

I want tremendous energy, discipline, courage, and drive, but all of it aimed at moving forward what God has given me to steward.

Then at the end, the question isn’t “Did I become everything I dreamed I could become?”

It’s “Was I faithful with what He gave me?”

That’s a much more demanding question, but also a much more peaceful one.