Man is created in God’s image and likeness. God is unlimited. Therefore, although man is limited, he has deep inside him, a longing for the unlimited. For the same reason, man longs for immortality and eternal life. It also explains man’s longing for perfection and that is why people have ambitious feelings in them…
An indolent person is not in God’s image while the one who has the godly image says, like St. Paul, “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” (Phil. 3:13)
This is a spiritual ambition, where everyone seeks spiritual perfection. And according to his perfect idealism, whatever he reaches seems as nothing, so he forgets it and keeps on progressing…
That is how the saints’ humility originated and their toil in struggle.
That is also how the spiritual growth originated…
This type of ambition is acceptable and is needed as a virtue and nobody objects to it.
But there is the wrong ambition for material things.
For example, the rich fool who said, “I will pull down my barns and build greater.. and I will say to my soul you have many goods laid up for many years.” (Luke 12:18)
What are the faults in the materialistic ambition?
[1] The first fault is that the heart becomes attached to material things in a way that controls its feelings and time, and kills any other spiritual desire.
[2] The second fault is that a person gets involved in competitions that would cause him the loss of his love for others and tempts him to build his own personal glory on the rubble of others, clashing with people and destroying them. Like a person whose ambition is to be first or to be head, so hetries to get rid of all his rivals…
[3] The third fault is when ambition turns into greediness or avidity that is never satisfied, no matter how much this person gains or achieves.
[4] The fourth fault is when the means to reach one’s ambition is wrong or not spiritual. By this, man destroys some of his ideals and spiritualism to reach his target…
[5] Ambition could be for authority and changes the person into a dictator, destroying whoever stands in his way of influence…
[6] One might forget his eternity in all these types of ambitions and his bearings become completely worldly.
— Pope Shenouda III
