Success Vs. Fruit
One of the greatest pressures we face as men today is the need to achieve.
Most men feel a comparative angst in their lives that makes them feel like they have not done enough, become enough, or achieved enough. This can be dangerous for the soul.
Achievement is such a fascinating concept, primarily because of how subjective it is. What looks like failure for one man may be glory for another. That’s what makes it so confusing and so hard to analyze in our own formation.
Then, there is the tension of failure. I don’t think failure is inherently noble or heroic. I see no biblical value or virtue in failing. Yet we often feel pulled between the values of achievement and failure as we try to walk with integrity.
To ease this tension, people often talk about the need to be faithful. But to be honest, I don’t think that faithfulness is enough to stir a man’s soul, particularly how it's presented in the world today.
To be clear, I value faithfulness over unfaithfulness or betrayal, but it still leaves me wanting more.
We make the verse “Well done, good and faithful servant” the central verse of our faith, but we forget the context. The faithful man was the one who leveraged and put to work what he had. Faithfulness is not passivity, resignation, or trying not to lose what we have. Jesus called the man who buried his talent out of fear “wicked and lazy.”
Is there something more compelling and biblical than just faithfulness that can break our addiction to achievement yet still summon a golden ambition from our lives? I believe there is.
While wrestling with all this, I came across a small section in a book by Ronald Rolheiser on the need to shift from achievement to fruitfulness. It immediately gave me the paradigm I think so many men long for in their lives but cannot find—the power of a fruitful life. He notes…
“There’s a real difference between our achievements and our fruitfulness, between our successes and the actual good that we bring into the world. What we achieve brings us success, gives us a sense of pride, makes our families and friends proud of us, and gives us a feeling of being worthwhile, singular, and important. We’ve done something. We’ve left a mark. We’ve been recognized. And along with those awards, trophies, academic degrees, certificates of distinction, and artifacts we’ve left behind come public recognition and respect.”
ACHIEVEMENT
Here is my analysis of the values of achievement:
- It is measured by visible outcomes, metrics, and results
- It produces recognition, status, distinction, awards, and reputation
- It is individualistic; it sets a person apart from others
- It is highly visible and easily quantified
- It is driven by accomplishment, performance, and productivity
- It often triggers comparison, envy, or restlessness in others
- It is rooted in control, effort, and self-assertion
- It depends heavily on external validation and acknowledgment
- It is remembered in terms of what was achieved
- It can inflate identity, giving a sense of worth tied to performance
- It can become addictive, creating a cycle of needing more to feel enough
- It often masks inner poverty, even while projecting outer strength
- It fades quickly, requiring constant renewal to sustain meaning
There are many men who have achieved a lot but are miserable inside. They have become achievement addicts. An addiction to achievement can damage those we love. It can make us neglect our wives, compete with friends, overlook our kids, and ignore our faith. An addiction to achievement is like all other addictions; you need more and more of it, but it's less satisfying over time.
Jesus never intended that we would get our sense of worth as men from what we accomplish. Rolheiser goes on…
“However, achievement is not the same thing as fruitfulness. Our achievements are things we have accomplished. Our fruitfulness is the positive, long-term effect these achievements have on others. Achievement doesn’t automatically mean fruitfulness. Achievement helps us stand out; fruitfulness brings blessing into other people’s lives.”
FRUIT
Fruit, on the other hand, is for others. Fruit is meant to be eaten, not left on the vine (or tree) to glory in itself or slowly rot. The nature of fruit is to bless.Jesus talked a lot more about fruit than He did about faithfulness. In John 15:5, He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”
Much fruit—this is Jesus' vision.
In John 15:8, He continues, “My Father is glorified by this, that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”
God is glorified by much fruitfulness, and it is fruitfulness, not just faithfulness, that proves we are disciples of Jesus.
He goes on in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain.”
Achievements are temporary and quickly forgotten, but fruit lasts forever. It has an eternal impact and is eternally rewarded. It gets better over time and is remembered forever.
Jesus says that ultimately it’s fruit, not belief, that is the true mark of our faith.
Matthew 7:16–17 says, “You’ll recognize them by their fruit… every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.”
Here is my analysis of the beauty and value of fruit:
- It is measured by its effect on others over time, not by what was accomplished in the moment
- It produces life in other people (joy, peace, growth, healing), not just admiration
- It is relational at its core; it blesses the community rather than elevating the individual
- It is often unseen and difficult to quantify
- It flows out of character, especially graciousness, generosity, and kindness
- It reduces envy and restlessness in others; it invites us to abide, not compare
- It is rooted in surrender, not control; it comes from a life yielded rather than managing outcomes
- It endures beyond the moment and has a long horizon and lingering impact
- It is not dependent on recognition; it can exist fully without attention or applause
- It is remembered in terms of who you were, not just what you did
- It aligns with love as a way of being, not love as an occasional act
- It becomes clearer with time, often most visible after we die
Fruit comes from abiding; success comes from striving. One is done to impress others, the other to bless others. We need men with a vision of bearing fruitful lives.
ETERNAL FRUIT
To be honest, Jesus didn’t achieve that much in the eyes of the world. He was in obscurity for most of His life, then He called a group of men to follow Him for just over three years. He never wrote His own book or launched a political revolution.
He taught God's word in a way that both infuriated and delighted. He was kind to outcasts, had compassion on the multitudes, got angry at hypocrites, and then died for His enemies on a cross. He rose again, which many doubted, then ascended to heaven.
In the natural, Jesus did not accomplish that much.
But in terms of fruit, Jesus led the most fruitful life in history.
He fulfilled the law and instituted the New Covenant.
He founded a Church that endures and continues to grow to this day.
He opened a way back to the Father, conquering sin, Satan, death, and hell.
Jesus’ life tells us that you don’t have to be successful to be fruitful.
I want to be a fruitful man. I want to live a 100x life. Most of what I have achieved will be soon forgotten, and already has, but I am caught up in wonder at the fact that there will be fruit that will remain. Not because of what I have achieved but because union with Christ has enabled His kingdom to come in small but potent ways through this frail and grateful life.
Men, focus on the fruit.
The fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of righteousness
The fruit of repentance
The fruit of the lips that bless God's name
The fruit of good works
The fruit of holiness, sanctification
The fruit of making disciples and spiritual multiplication
The fruit of answered prayer
Fruit that remains—eternal fruit.
Have a Blessed Day
