Two great lies have been promoted in our culture during the past 20 years. They are told to children in school, students in college, and workers throughout the business world.
The first great lie is, “If you work hard enough, you can be anything you want to be.” It is often sold as the American Dream, expressed in sayings such as, “In America, anyone can grow up to be president.”
The second great lie is like the first one, yet it’s possibly even more damaging: “You can be the best in the world.”
These lies are accepted by many Christians as well as non-Christians. They catastrophically damage our view of work and vocation because they have distorted the biblical view of success. These two lies define success in 21st century Western culture. Success, defined as being the master of your own destiny, has become an idol.
