G-d Efficacy

What is it that makes people succeed despite their personal circumstances? Several years ago in the April 29, 2008 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Melinda Beck wrote an article listing impressively successful people who struggled significantly early in life, yet never gave up: Julie Andrews was rejected by MGM Studios as an actress for “not being photogenic enough”, The Beatles were rejected by Decca Records because they “didn’t like their sound”, Walt Disney was fired by a Newspaper editor for “lacking imagination”, and Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team for not being a good enough player. Despite rejection and setback, these individuals kept pursuing their goal and found success. The article called this self-efficacy, “the unshakable belief that some people  have, that they have what it takes to succeed.” 

I believe it is important for us as believers to properly evaluate ourselves and our abilities, based on G-d’s Instruction found in Scripture:

“For through the grace given me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think—but to use sound judgment, as G-d has assigned to each person a measure of faith.” (Rom 12:3 TLV)

Living successful lives certainly demands a willingness to work hard, stay focused and be tenacious. But truly living a spiritually successful life demands more than anything else faith in G-d and submission to his righteousness.  Maintaining a positive faith in ourselves is simply not enough!

If we desire to live spiritually successful lives, we must deepen our daily understanding of what it means to live lives of faith. I can guarantee that you will struggle, face rejection and even seemingly fail, but with G-d’s help based on faith in him, your efforts will eventually lead to amazing success. It’s not self-efficacy, faith in ourselves and our abilities, that will get us where we need to go as followers of Messiah Yeshua, it is G-d-efficacy. Let’s make sure we are keeping our minds focused on the Righteousness of G-d!

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director