Achievement

I have always struggled to related to Solomon. David the warrior king who lived in caves I kind of get. But Solomon the wise, the great philosopher and builder, has always seemed less real and more of a historical figure. Today, reading in 1 Kings, I noticed something that made him seem even less like me.

It was just a snippet, found in verse 1: “When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared to him a second time . . . .” Solomon set out with a plan, and labored at it for about twenty years. And in the end, he did it all. He achieved everything he wanted. 

There are a small handful of things in my life that I have completed according to plan. There are a few more that maybe give me a few points for persistence; I didn’t really do it the way I envisioned, but I stuck things out to the end. But, in my memory anyway, my path is really littered with projects begun but not finished and good intentions never realized. 

I feel guilty about that because I tend to see people like Solomon as somehow more God-honoring. They make good use of their gifts. They aren’t distracted by pleasures or recreation. They accomplish great works. But me . . . . I’m lazy, easily distracted, too ready to compromise. At least that’s how I seem to myself.

I want to be a Solomon. I feel like I have some great gifts. In fact, there are a few things that I think I can do as well as anyone I’ve ever met. But somehow I’ve never consistently performed at that level. My few accomplishments have been done on relatively small stages with audiences equally as small. The dreams I had as a young man have given way to what I call a more realistic view. But this little verse about Solomon makes me wonder if “realistic” isn’t just code for “Nah, not gonna work that hard.”

I want to be a faithful servant. I want to be the man who turned one talent into five. I want to set my sights on great things for God and achieve them. But right now I don’t feel like that’s who I am.

Too hard on myself? Maybe. Odds are I’ve done more good than I realize. And there’s a lot of life and opportunity left. In the end this verse about Solomon is a good reminder of what I’m here for, and a good model of what servanthood can look like.