Note: this is Part 5 of a series. Here are the links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, and Part 7.

On Monday night, Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does.

Down by 13 points late in the fourth quarter, the greatest quarterback of all time led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers down the field—not once, but twice—to secure a one-point victory over their rivals, the New Orleans Saints.

The game marked his 44th fourth quarter comeback, a new record for the NFL.

His inner drive to win is second to none.

But it is not without cost.

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Earlier this year he and his wife Giselle Bündchen divorced after 13 years of marriage. The end of their marriage came after Brady retired, then un-retired, from the game of football.

Many speculate that Bündchen separated because Brady refused to step away from the game. After all, she long ago left her career as a supermodel to help Brady achieve previously unreached heights as a football player. Why shouldn’t he do the same?

Whether this narrative is factual and complete, we may never know.

What is clear is that Brady has an unrelenting ambition. The winner of seven Super Bowl titles—more than any team in NFL history—was once asked, “Which one is your favorite?”

Brady famously responded: “The next one.”

But at what price ambition?

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Like everything God created, ambition is a good thing that goes bad when we try to infuse it with ultimate meaning.

That’s the heart of idolatry—whether of work or pleasure or wealth or success. Taking a good thing and making it ultimate.

I mention this because sometimes we pastors think it godly to deny that we have any ambitions. We “just want to serve the Lord, just want to be found faithful, just want to be a good pastor.”

That may seem humble.

But each of those phrases themselves is pregnant with ambition.

After all, what does it mean to serve the Lord? To be found faithful? To be a good pastor?

Each phrase carries within it a specific image, a specific story, a specific meaning that we create out of our own ambition.

Furthermore, we all have longings for what will result from our life’s work, what fruit will be borne as a result of our pastoral labors.

So we must not pretend we’re ambitionless.

Because ambition is not wrong.

What is wrong is making our ambition ultimate, letting it dictate everything else in our lives.

Let’s name it for what it is. That way, we can keep it in its place.

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Part 3 – My Ambition

Over the past month I’ve guided you on a journey of self-reflection through a tool called a raison d’être, your reason for being. This week let’s give some thought to those parts of ourselves that contribute to what we want out of life.

This involves a great deal of honesty—”truth in the inward parts,” if you will.

We’re looking beneath what we do, even beneath what drives us, to our underlying assumptions about what we’re good at, what we should do, and how our path has prepared us for this moment.

So get out those journals—let’s get to work!

1. Giftedness

In this section you’re answering the question, What do you do well?

The word giftedness may immediately bring to mind charisms of the Spirit—your spiritual gifts. If so, then start there.

Look at Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. Where do you see yourself in those lists of gifts?

But don’t stop there.

The Spirit who endowed you with those gifts is the same One who made you as you are. So include your natural abilities as well.

This might include things you’ve worked hard to do well, like public speaking, playing an instrument, or programming software.

Or it might include intangible qualities—the ability to put people at ease or to discern when someone is lying or to simplify complex topics.

What abilities has God given you that make certain tasks easier for you than for someone else?

This section could take the form of bullet points, complete sentences, or a few paragraphs. Take your pick.

But write out your answer, and keep adding to it.

2. Experience

Now take a look back over your life and ask, What have you done? In God’s providence what experience do you have?

What parts of your own story stand out to you as significant?

That’s a really good question.

What parts of your own story stand out to you as significant?

Think about how few things from your life you remember. How much can you remember from when you were 11 years old? Probably not a lot, compared to the 365 days you lived that year.

Yet some things have stuck with you. What are they? And why do you think they stand out?

Where has God taken you in life so far?

If you need a prompt, consider these four areas of life:

Family of origin. How did your early life experiences shape you? What blessings did you receive through your parents, teachers, and caregivers? What spoken or unspoken rules from childhood have shaped the way you engage with others?

Education. What schools did you go to? Do you consider your education a success or a failure? Why?

Work. What was your first job? Your favorite job? Your least favorite job? How did these shape your ambition, for good or for ill?

Ministry. When did you first begin serving the church? Why did you start serving? What roles have you enjoyed? Which ones were dreadful?

3. Affirmations

Here’s a question that is easy to overlook: What do others say I am good at?

I use labels in my Gmail account for this very purpose.

I have a label called “Encouragements and Commendations.” When people send me a message that acknowledges the exercise of my gifts or praises me for a job well done, I add the “Encouragements and Commendations” label and archive it.

As one mentor might’ve put it, these messages are gold dust.

I started this practice for encouragement on a rainy day. And we pastors have plenty of rainy days.

But I’ve learned that these affirmations present to me a clear-eyed view of what I do well—clearer perhaps than I can be with myself.

I might think I’m good at something. But when another person unprompted says the same thing, they verify my self-assessment.

And if no one ever commends me for something I think I do well … well, I might want to reassess myself.

4. Limitations

As humans made in the image of God—made to work six days and rest the seventh—we must ask ourselves, What restrictions has God given me to work within?

My senior year of college was insanely busy. I was dating seriously and about to get engaged. I was president of the student body and president of the ministerial class. I was a residence assistant in the dorms. And as part of my full-time coursework I was taking first year Hebrew.

It was then that I realized how desperately I needed sleep.

That year I constantly felt like I was running behind, my brain didn’t function well, and I was quick to frustration and anger.

By the end of the year I made a commitment: I had to average seven hours of sleep each night. And if my academic pursuits didn’t allow for that, then my academic pursuits would have to stop.

I have limits.

We all do. And they’re not just physical. We have mental, emotional, and spiritual limits.

What are yours?

Just the other day a friend told me about his seminary professor who said that no one can master the whole Bible. So his teacher decided to give his life to mastering one book from the Old Testament and one from the New.

That’s a beautiful example of recognizing and living within our limitations.

So what can you not do? How much is too much? Where must you draw the line?

Learn to be grateful for what your mind and body allow you to do.

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Congratulations! You’re almost done.

There’s just one part left to your raison d’être. We’ll wrap it up next week.

Until then review what you’ve written in the first two parts and spend some time with this one.

And drop a comment to let me know how it’s going!